Crazy About You
by p-astelmilktea
Summary: Read through the ups and downs of their high school life. Mostly ZoNa, includes a little LuVi as well XD
1. Chapter 1

**Crazy About You **

**Disclaimer - I don't own anything except for the storyline.**

**OMG, my first ever multi-chapter! I've had this idea for a while, I just had a hard time deciding how I was going to write it. You might notice that a lot of the chapters are going to be quite separate, it's because I originally planned to write this as a drabble fic. So this is a typical 'Nami is the new girl' story,(sorry, I couldn't think of better plots) and then she meets Zoro and they start to have feelings for each other, blah blah blah... nothing new. (am I convincing you to _not_ read this?) Here's chapter one! :)**

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Chapter One – Beginning

Nami was nervous. She was standing in front of the door of what would be her new classroom, considering whether she should knock or just walk in. Mentally, she wondered why she was so afraid in the first place.

It wasn't like this was the first time; she had moved plenty of times before and had gone to at least six different schools. In reality, meeting new people should be a piece of cake for her. So what made this school any different? _Maybe because this is a boarding school and I'll have to find some friends somehow or I won't know how things work here, _her mind answered.

Nami sighed and decided to walk straight in – no one would knock on their own classroom door anyway. When she entered, she was greeted by a tall, slim woman with raven black hair and entrancing light blue eyes – someone bound to be extremely popular among the guys. _Is she going to be my teacher?_ Nami thought to herself.

"You must be Nami, then new student at Grand Line Academy. Am I correct?" Nami startled as the woman spoke. She couldn't find anything to say so she just nodded.

"Welcome, Nami," the woman continued. "I hope you will soon find yourself at home here."

"Thank you," Nami said politely.

The woman smiled, "My name is Nico Robin, I will be your homeroom teacher for the rest of the year. You may call me Robin."

Nami felt weird calling a teacher by her first name, but she replied, "Yes, Robin."

"Good. If you have any problems, feel free to ask me or anyone else in the class. Is that understood?"

Nami nodded again, and Robin said, "Now the warning bell is about to ring, so please take a seat somewhere."

As if on cue, the sound 'ring ring, ring ring' echoed across the school, causing Nami to flinch and slightly shudder, unconsciously thinking, _What a awful bell._ She quickly composed herself and walked to the back of the classroom, sliding herself into a chair. She could feel eyes on her – boys with interest and girls with anger and jealousy.

It was nothing new; it seemed that everyone viewed her in the same way no matter where she went. With her gorgeous, attractive body, Nami rarely had any girls as close friends in the past because she always won the attention of many boys. She hoped that at this school she could change that.

"Hey, what's your name?" Nami jumped (again!) at the sound of the feminine voice. She turned to the desk beside her to see a girl with long blue hair, big innocent looking eyes and a pretty smile. She was wearing a white camisole paired with a short pleated skirt and ankle boots. Nami liked the look of her immediately.

"My name's Nami, what's yours?"

"Vivi," replied the girl, beaming. "I heard you're the new girl. What do you think of this school so far?

"It's confusing," Nami answered honestly. "I almost got lost twice."Usually she would have just said 'fine', but something about Vivi made her want to tell the truth.

"That's perfectly normal," Vivi reassured her. "You actually have a pretty good sense of direction, most people take three weeks until they can get around the school without losing track of where they are. This place is _huge._"

"It definitely is," Nami agreed. After hesitating a little, she asked a question that was on her mind for a while. "Do we have to share rooms here?" The thought of it made her wrinkle her nose in distaste. It wasn't that she was anti-social, she was just used to having her own room. And sleeping with a bunch of chatty girls did _not_ sound particularly pleasant.

Vivi sighed, and nodded. "Yes, we do. But luckily only in pairs, and the rooms are really big." She pondered for a moment, eyes turned up at the ceiling, then brightened. "I could try and put us in the same room," she suggested in excitement.

Nami stared at her in disbelief, partly puzzled of how Vivi could possibly make any room arrangements and partly amazement that she actually wanted to share a room with her. "You… you mean it?" Nami tried to hold back the shock in her voice.

"Don't look so surprised," Vivi said, laughing. "I'm actually a dorm assistant, so I help sort out who everyone sleeps with."

"Well, that's… not all of it…" Nami admitted slowly. "Most girls think I'm rude and slutty and they never want to be friends with me. You're one of the first girls I ever had a decent conversation to."

"Oh, Nami." Vivi leaned over to the side of the table to give her a kind of awkward hug. "You're not rude or a slut. They're just jealous of you."

Nami gave a short laugh, "I guess so."

"I'm here for you okay? If you've got any questions, you can ask me. I'll get the room thing sorted out."

"Thanks, Vivi," Nami whispered, genuinely moved by her new friend's words. The final bell then rang, its awful sound almost breaking her eardrums. At the same time the door suddenly swung open, revealing a tanned, muscular guy with short green hair and emerald coloured eyes. The only thing ruining his good looks was a grumpy scowl on his face.

"Wow, for once he actually made it on time," Nami heard Vivi mutter.

"Who is he?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, that's Zoro," Vivi answered rather matter-of-factly. "He's always late to class, and when he does make it, he falls asleep straight away."

"Sounds like he's lazy jerk," Nami said, observing Robin comment on how pleased she was to see him arrive on time to class.

Vivi smiled, "He is, sometimes. But he also has a good side to him too, it just takes time to get him to open up." She paused, and leaned a little closer so she could whisper into Nami's ear. "He's also one of the most popular guys in the school. You've probably noticed that he's pretty hot, even with that trademark scowl on his face all the time. Every girl in the school is crazy about him; they follow them around like guinea pigs." Vivi snorted at that, then sighed, shaking her head so that her blue bangs fell slightly over the eyes. "He never seems interested in girls though, even though he practically has them flocking after him."

Nami was about to ask how she knew all of this when she felt those deep emerald eyes wander the room and settle directly on her. Slowly, she raised her own brown eyes to meet Zoro's intense gaze. Nami shivered, trying not to squirm. They stared at each other for a while, until Robin noticed that he was still standing in the doorway and beckoned him to sit down.

Zoro looked like he had woken from a dream; he blinked a few times and reddened a little before making his way to a desk. Which, ironically, was right behind Nami. She glanced around and realised that it was the only available seat left. _No wonder._

As the class began, Nami could feel practically every guy in the class staring at her – as if judging her appearance. She wasn't sure if they were looking at her the whole time or not, but still, just to stir them up a bit more… Nami smiled coyly and tossed her wavy orange hair over her shoulder, causing their mouths to practically drop open. Some of them even started to drool, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Nami also used the chance to sneak a peek at a certain green haired boy. (or should she say 'man'?) Despite what Vivi said, it seemed to her that he was _very _awake and _very_ alert – sitting there stiffly with his arms crossed and scowl on his face. For some unknown reason, she had a weird feeling that it was specifically directed at her.

Nami sighed for what seemed like the twentieth time this morning, and tried to tune into whatever Robin was saying on the history of ancient Egypt. It was going to be one hell of a semester, she was sure of it.

And Zoro's low but obviously irritated growl behind her officially confirmed her assumption.

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**Okay, I know that was a little rushed... sorry about that and any other errors like OOCness or grammar mistakes. Feel free to tell me and I'll go back and edit it. Also, since this is an introduction, it will be shorter than most other chapters. And all the other Strawhats will be mentioned later, probably in a couple of chapters from now. Just so you know :3 Riiiight, I'll stop blabbering now... if you have any advice, suggestions or questions, leave it in either a review or PM me. Thanks for reading! xP**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer - If I owned One Piece, I wouldn't be writing this fic and there would be heaps more ZoNa moments.**

**Hey, back again with another update :P Thanks to those who reviewed the first chapter, it made me really happy to know that you liked the start of this story. This chapter is dedicated to you all! ^^**

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Chapter Two – Unexpected

The only thing refraining Zoro from giving in his sleepiness was the girl in front of him. What did Vivi call her? Nina? Mina? No… that wasn't it. Nami? Yes, her name was Nami. He couldn't help but find her… interesting. Maybe even attractive. As dense as he was, there weren't many guys out there who could resist a beautiful girl like her. _Wait a second – did I just call her beautiful?_

But no one could blame him. She was a goddess of perfection - a work of art, with her long, wavy orange coloured hair that cascaded down to her waist, and these adorable chocolate brown eyes. A one-shouldered tank top and black denim shorts displayed her slim yet full figure and perfect, creamy skin. Zoro realised that he was starting to sound like the idiotic blonde flirt. And speaking of Sanji… he hoped that he and Nami wouldn't be in any of the same classes. It was a definite no-no situation.

Zoro watched, pissed, as Nami suddenly flicked her hair over her shoulder and the boy's attraction to her intensified. He crossed his arms resolutely and scowled, determined not to think about her anymore. Unfortunately for him, it didn't work, and he let out a growl. Nami turned slightly and he could have sworn he saw a flicker of amusement pass through her eyes. Zoro felt his face getting heated, and he mentally punched himself in the head. _Control yourself! Where's your goddamn dignity? _He had never gotten so worked up over a girl before. What about Nami made him react otherwise?

Zoro groaned, and he felt nearby people giving him questioning glances. Ignoring them, Zoro sat through the rest of the lesson in silent agony. A burst of relief passed through him when the damn bell finally went ringing. He tried not to, but his eyes automatically travelled to Nami, who was whispering something to Vivi. And why did she have to hang out with Vivi, of all people?

Picking himself up from his seat, he hurried out of the classroom without even a backwards glance. Another minute in there would make him go crazy. After checking his schedule, he reluctantly headed to his next class. Or tried to, at least. He'd been at this school for years already, but for some freaking reason he could never find his freaking way around the freaking place. Zoro's friends had a rather annoying habit of teasing him about it.

When Zoro looked up and tried to figure out where he was, he saw a door in front of him which was marked in big, bold capitals, 'GYM.' How the heck did he end up over here? He was supposed to be all the way down the other side of the building in the maths wing! Zoro cursed his luck and started running in what he thought was the opposite direction.

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By the time Zoro was dismissed from his second last class, he longed to ditch last period and go to his room to have a nice, quiet nap. As he was considering the option, his phone gave out a soft beep. Zoro grumbled to himself and took it out of his pocket to read the message.

_From: Lufy_

_Subject: Impourtant!_

_Meet me after scool at out uswal spot, i wunt u to meet sumone. _

Zoro sighed, typical of Luffy to have such poor spelling to spell even his own name wrong. It also meant his nap would have to wait, since if he ditched now and had his nap, he would definitely sleep through until dinner. But Luffy, despite his childishness, was his friend, and if he wanted Zoro to meet him the he would obey. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice someone heading his way until it was too late.

WHAM! Zoro felt a small, feminine body walk straight into his chest. When he saw her orange hair and brown eyes, Zoro gulped nervously. _Nami._

Nami looked just as surprised as he felt. She stumbled backwards, and Zoro instinctively reached out, grabbing her wrist before she fell. "Steady," he murmured, waiting until Nami fully regained her balance before letting her go. Nami seemed to have snapped out of her shock, and she glared at Zoro. "Watch where you're going next time," she growled before turning and continuing on her way.

No 'thank you' or even a nod or smile – just a cold glare and snotty remark. Zoro wasn't one who needed acknowledgement for his actions, but something about her reaction pissed him off. He tried to spot her in the huge crowd of students, but she had already disappeared. "Damn that witch," Zoro muttered under his breath. He decided to forget it for now and sprint to his last class before he got another detention.

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Zoro yawned as he strolled out of the building and made his way towards a huge oak tree near the school library. This was where he and his friends always met for group discussions, or simply just to hang out and have fun. It was the only place in the entire school he could get to without getting lost. Briefly, Zoro wondered who Luffy wanted him to meet.

He got his answer soon enough. As he neared the tree, he glimpsed a flash of familiar orange hair. _Why the hell do I keep on bumping into her?_ Zoro almost yelled the thought out loud.

Zoro didn't even notice he had completely frozen on the spot until he heard Luffy shout his name. "Hey, Zoro!" He blinked, something he always did to clear his mind. Zoro felt rather than saw Nami's chocolate orbs register his presence. And by the widening of them, he could tell they were both thinking the same thing.

_Shit._

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**Did you know that Nami means 'wave' in Japanese? It's a nice name, I think it suits her. (after all, she _is_ the navigator of the crew... ) So this turned out to be another short chapter. Even shorter than the first, actually. The next one will be longer, I promise. xD Luffy and the others will be making their grand entrance then, hehehe :3 Oh, and also... I have a question for you all - do you think it's necessary to write whose point of view it is at the top of each chapter? I mean, it's pretty obvious that the first chapter was in Nami's POV and the second was in Zoro's. But just to be sure... let me know, okay. That's all I have to say for now~ Ja ne!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer - I'm not a genius like Oda-sensei.**

**Hehehehe, this is my longest update yet! :3 It actually turned out longer than I expected :/ (I never predict _anything_ correctly!) I have to warn you though, from this chapter onwards there might be a little insult to any Hancock and Tashigi fans. Just a _little_, but if you love either of them, be prepared. I thought adding some bad guys (or in this case, girls) into the story would stir up things more. ;) Oh, and by the way - I've been reading over this fic and I realised something. The story is obviously set after the time skip because Nami has long hair, but I never mentioned about the scar on Zoro's eye! (oops!) Let's just settle with Nami in her New World look, but everyone else still looks how they looked two years ago. Everyone happy? **

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Chapter Three – Introductions

"Vivi!" Nami shrieked, shaking her friend's arm violently. "Why didn't you tell me _he _was going to be here?"

Vivi shrugged, feigning innocence. "I thought that you would figure it out."

"Are you kidding?" Nami was ready to strangle her. She had no idea why it mattered, but that green haired dude was seriously getting on her nerves. Nami watched as he and another black haired boy Vivi introduced as Luffy exchange greetings and slap each other's backs.

_Do all boys do that?_ She wondered. Suddenly Luffy clapped his hands loudly and shouted, "Guys! Listen up!" To her surprise, everyone stopped what they were doing and gave him their full attention.

"We're having a new crew member – " _Crew member? _"And…" Luffy grabbed her arm and pulled her forwards," Her name is Nami!" Nami wasn't sure, but did Zoro just _flinch_? Her cheeks coloured and she smiled a bit as they all faced her and nodded in greeting.

"I'm honoured to be graced by your presence, Nami-swaaaaaannnn!" A thin, blonde boy with a curly eyebrow twirled around blissfully while Nami pulled a back a bit in disgust. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zoro shift slightly as if in irritation. Why was she paying so much attention to him anyway? He was an idiot, end of story.

Vivi, noticing her uncomfortableness, explained, "Don't mind him, he does that to every single woman he sees." Hearing that it was his normal behaviour, Nami felt a little better. "Now, we should all introduce ourselves," Vivi added. "Who wants to go first?"

"Ooooh! Me! Can I start? Please?" Luffy put up his hand eagerly.

Vivi laughed, "Yes you can, Luffy. But I think everyone knows your name already."

"Nami doesn't!" Luffy argued.

"She does. Don't you, Nami?" Vivi asked Nami, who nodded.

"Awwww!" Luffy pouted. "No fair!"

"You can say it anyway," Vivi told him patiently.

"Okay! My name… is Luffy!" Luffy said happily, his face splitting into a huge grin.

"I am known as Sanji," the blonde who flirted with her before spoke in a suave tone. Zoro snorted, earning himself a glare. "You wanna fight, marimo?" Sanji snarled.

"Like you'd ever beat me," Zoro said mockingly, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Stop it, both of you," Vivi cut them both off. She told Nami apologetically, "Sorry about that. They fight a lot." She shot them each a warning look.

"I can see that," Nami replied, amused.

"Alright, my turn!" A large cyan haired guy dressed in a speedo with sunglasses slammed his arms together, the tattoos on them forming a star. Nami almost gagged.

"The name is FRANKY, and I'm SUPEEEER!" he yelled, raising his arms over his head in a rather odd pose.

Next up was a skinny, dark skinned boy with frizzy black hair, who pointed a thumb at himself and declared, "I am the Great Captain Usopp, the legendary sniper with over eight thousand followers…" Nami eyed his shaking knees and wobbling posture skeptically.

"He's also a liar," Sanji added, causing a little brown haired boy to widen his eyes in shock.

"Liar? You're not a liar, are you, Usopp?" he asked timidly.

"Uh, well… I… they were – "

"All those adventures… were they are lies?" He began to cry.

"You should never listen to his stupid tales," Sanji continued soothingly, seemingly unaware of the emotional pain he had caused the younger boy, who cried even harder.

"Shut up, cook," Zoro, choosing this moment to speak, snapped. "Can't you see you're scaring him?" He moved over to the little boy and patted his head reassuringly. "He's just being dramatic," he told him.

"Really?" The boy looked hopeful. "So they were true?"

"Uh…" Zoro scratched his head. "Yeah. Most of them."

Both Usopp and the little boy smiled at him gratefully while Sanji glared. _Zoro would make a great father,_ Nami mentally noted to herself. She didn't bother taking the thought back; she knew it was no use. "So that's Chopper," Vivi said. "He's an exceptional doctor."

Chopper blushed and did a funny wiggly dance. "That's _not_ gonna make me happy, you moron~~~!"

"A doctor?" Nami asked curiously.

"Yeah. Not a professional one, of course, since he's still so young – but he is very skilled in medication. He's also got a good brain, that's why he's in the same grade as us even though he's a lot younger."

Nami thought back to when Zoro called Sanji a 'cook', and turned to the blonde. "You can cook?"

"I certainly can," Sanji replied, bowing. "If you ever get hungry, I'm always here to whip something up for you."

"I'll keep that in mind," Nami smiled.

"My beautiful Nami-swan is so beautiful when she smiles~" Sanji cooed, his eyes literally turning into hearts. Behind him, Zoro tsked. This time Sanji chose to ignore him.

"So…" Nami cleared her throat. "What are the rest of you?"

"Luffy is a trained martial artist," Vivi began, "and Zoro is skilled at kendo. (A/N: In case you didn't know, _kendo_ is Japanese fencing.)

"Seriously?" Nami asked dubiously. _They're both fighters?_ She shivered slightly. She wasn't really surprised about Zoro, but Luffy? Who would've guessed the goofy, over-optimistic boy also had a serious side to him as well?

"Unique, I know." Vivi paused and glanced at everyone else. 'Franky over here is a mechanic; he builds things and works with machines. Usopp's a sharpshooter – he has fantastic aiming skills."

"Namiiiii~ What are you good at?" Luffy chirped.

"Me?" Nami thought for a while. "Well… I draw maps. I study weather. And I'm also good at stealing things." She blushed slightly when the others laughed at the last part.

"So we've got a cartographer, meteorologist, and… a thief," Vivi grinned playfully.

"Don't say it like that," Nami grinned back.

"I think it's cool!" Luffy chimed in again.

"Nami-swan would make a fabulous thief," Sanji remarked, a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Pervert," muttered Zoro. Sanji whirled around to face him.

"You got a problem?" he sneered.

"You know I do." At that, the two made for each other's throats again. Before anyone else could say anything, a sickly sweet honey dripped voice called, "Luffy-sama~~~!"

Zoro and Sanji both stopped in their tracks to observe the newcomer. Everyone except for Sanji, who immediately had hearts in his eyes, tensed.

"Oh, Hancock," Luffy greeted nonchalantly. "What're doing here? Where are Sandersonia and Marigold?"

"Who are they?" Nami whispered to Vivi, who whispered back, "Her sisters."

The raven haired beauty curled her lips into s smirk. "Why, I came to see you, of course," she replied, studiously ignoring his second question.

"Oh." Luffy furrowed his brow. "Well, we were just introducing ourselves to Nami."

"Hmmm," Hancock inspected the orange haired girl in disdain. She walked towards Nami and leaned her face close to hers. "You may be pretty, little girl, but I'm still prettier."

Nami felt her temper flare. How dare she insult her like that? She could feel the others frown too, and beside her, Vivi put a reassuring hand on her shoulder – barely holding her back from lashing out at the self-centred bitch. "Luffy would never love someone like you," Hancock continued, twirling a strand of luscious hair around her finger.

Nami almost choked. "Luffy?" she managed to get out. "There's nothing between me and _Luffy._"

Hancock smiled in satisfaction, "Good. After all, he and I were meant to be together… I am the only one good enough for him." Nami glared at her. Vivi, also glaring, said, "What do you want, Hancock?" Surprised by the coldness in her friend's voice, Nami glanced at Vivi, whose fists were tightly clenched and bottom lip trembling. She's never seen her so angry before. Nami thought about all the earlier occurrences… and realised. Could it be… that the blue haired girl had feelings for Luffy?

She had to admit that he was pretty cute, in a pure, innocent way – just not somebody Nami could see herself with. Her mind unconsciously wandered to Zoro, and she scolded herself for letting it happen._ He's not that attractive! Okay, maybe he is… but still!_

"I'm simply making sure Luffy-sama isn't getting stolen from me," Hancock's answer snapped Nami back to the present.

"Since when is he _yours_?" Vivi snarled, obviously irritated.

"He's _always_ been mine. Right, Luffy-sama?" Hancock purred to Luffy, who was not paying any attention to the conversation and picking his nose. His image made Hancock blush heavily and collapse dizzily. Suddenly, two more voices shouted from the distance, "Sister Hancock!"

Two girls, one overweight with brownish orange hair and one with a disproportionally wide face and long aqua-green hair, rushed over to them. _They must be Hancock's sisters, _Nami figured. It was oddthat they were related, considering that Hancock had a much nicer appearance than her two sisters.

"There you are!" the fatter one cried, panting.

"We've been looking all over for you!" added the other. Hancock sighed, and looked longingly at Luffy, causing Vivi to bristle. "I guess it's my queue to go." She blew Luffy a kiss and winked. "I'll call you!"

He shrugged, "Sure. Whatever."

Not seeming to notice his lack of interest, Hancock beamed. As she turned to leave with Sandersonia and Marigold, she stopped abruptly in seeing someone heading their way. "if it isn't Tashigi," she smirked. "Looks like you have another visitor." Then she marched away. Nami expected everyone to let out a sigh of relief, but no one did. _Who is it this time?_

A girl with short, dark blue hair and thick rimmed glasses came into view. She had a determined look on her face. "ZORO!" she yelled.

Zoro grimaced, "Not her again…"

Tashigi put her hands to her hips and shot him a glare. "Why do you keep avoiding me?" she demanded. Zoro glared right back. "Shut up!" he growled. "It's none of your business!"

Tashigi stepped closer to him and jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "I _hate_ ignorant people like you! Just tell me already!"

_Tell her what_? Nami hoped, prayed, that they weren't in a relationship. She wasn't sure why, but the thought of them together made her feel queasy. Sick in the stomach, even.

"No!" Zoro shoved her away roughly and scowled.

"Then fight me!" Tashigi shouted. "Come on! What's the big deal? Are you scared, or what?"

A flash of something – Nami couldn't tell what – crossed Zoro's face, and his features darkened visibly. He pinned her to the wall of the library, causing her to squeak. For a moment he took on a real demonic appearance.

"Zoro!" Sanji snarled. "How dare you treat a lady that way? Put her down _right now_ or else you're gonna get what you deserve." As if to prove that he meant it, he lifted up his leg, ready to kick out.

Zoro ignored him. "Don't… say that… ever again," he hissed. "You hear me, woman?"

Tashigi nodded shakily and Zoro released her. After she stumbled away, Nami nudged Vivi. "What was that about?" she asked, glad her voice didn't quiver.

"Apparently she looks very similar to a girl from his past," Vivi explained.

"Zoro's past?" Nami questioned slowly, careful not to say anything unnecessary.

"She was a close friend who passed away," mumbled a deep, baritone voice that came from behind them.

"Zoro…" For the first time since she'd met him, she felt pity and sorrow for him. By judging his attitude, he probably didn't want any pity – especially from her. But still, she said softly, "I'm sorry."

Zoro grunted. "It's fine. Nothing I can't bare with."

"Why do you always have to act so macho?" The words came tumbling out of her mouth and Nami regretted it as soon as she said them.

"_What_? You're calling me _macho_?" Zoro's expression suddenly turned into steel. His anger, this time directed at her, really did make him look like a demon.

Regardless, Nami didn't back down. She knew she should, but her stubbornness was just as great as his. "It's okay to have feelings, you know."

Zoro scoffed, his laugh harsh. "What do you know about the pain you feel when you lose someone dear to you?" he said.

Nami's previously gentle, caring expression disappeared, replaced by a hard, emotionless one. She could practically feel the waves of anger rolling off her. Her jaw clenched, and her shoulders started to shake.

Zoro, temporaily startled by her reaction, took a step back. Nami slowly lifted up her head, and met Zoro's dark green eyes, measure for measure. "You know what?" she finally spat. "I was wrong to show you sympathy. You're nothing but a selfish, heartless brute!"

Then she spun on her heels and broke into a sprint. _Anything to get away from him._ She didn't even notice the others watching her, or hear Vivi's calls and Sanji's devastated shouts.

As Nami ran, her foster mum's name echoed through her head.

_Bellemere…_

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**Soooo~ How was it? Good? Bad? Horrible? (I hope not) Sorry about any typos I've missed, I wrote this up in a hurry. I know this chapter has a lot of info to take in, and I've got a lot to say about it! So I guess it ends at another cliff-hanger. (aren't I cruel?) As a reader, I know how the suspense feels... but as a writer, I _love_ ending in cliff-hangers. Mwahahaha xD Thinking about it now, I really wish I made Chopper the teacher and Robin a student. It fits in better. Although I'm not sure who I'd pair Robin up with... maybe Franky? Or Sanji?**

** I also apologise for any OOCness that might happen within the Hancock trio. As much as I want to watch it, I'm _no where_ near up to date in the anime or the manga and I don't really know how they act like. Hope you forgive me. Remember, reviews make me smile!  
P.S. Please don't ask, 'Where's Brook?' - I forgot to include him. (sorry~~~!)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer - There's not much point disclaiming over and over again, but I actually find writing disclaimers quite fun.**

**Uhh... there's not much to say here, so I'll just let you read this chapter in peace :D**

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Chapter Four – History

_Damn it, why did I have to say that?_ Zoro stared after Nami's running figure, his mind clouded with guilt and regret.

"What are you standing there for?" Vivi gave him a displeased frown. "Go after her!"

"What?" Zoro asked stupidly, barely aware of Sanji lecturing him on how to properly treat a lady. He never meant to hurt her. But his mourning of the loss of his childhood friend Kuina was too much for him; he couldn't contain the grief inside him any longer. _And so you took it out on her,_ he accused himself.

What exactly did he say to her again? _What do you know about the pain you feel when you lose someone dear to you?_ Zoro gulped. _Did_ she know? Behind that fiery attitude of hers, had she also gone through hell, just like him? Never in his life did Zoro imagine himself feeling bad for Nami, but he did. "You pathetic marimo!" Sanji was screaming into his ear. "Look what you did! Think of how Nami-swan must feel right now!"

As he rambled on and on, Zoro desperately tried to think of how he could patch things up with the spunky, orange haired girl. Was it even possible? He looked over to Vivi, who nodded at him encouragingly. _Talk to her,_ her expression urged. _But where do I find her?_ Before he could voice his question, Vivi answered it for him. "She's probably headed for the girls' dorms."

Zoro nodded once, then started running. "Other way!" the others called after him.

* * *

He couldn't find her anywhere. Zoro was sure he had checked every single floor in the girls' dormitory – but then again, being him, there was a high possibility he missed somewhere.

"Argh!" Zoro shouted in frustration, kicking a nearby wall. His shoe left a huge hole at where he kicked, and Zoro quickly distanced himself to avoid getting caught in the act. After some more aimless searching, he forced himself to calm down and strategise. _That's what you're good at, _he told himself. _Just stop for a second and think of a plan._

Maybe he could ask someone in the lobby. But where the heck was the lobby? His ears perked up when he heard voices. "Yes, Miss Vivi has organised for you to sleep in Room 23. You're very fortunate actually, because it's one of the lowest floors. Some people have to go all the way up."

"I'm grateful," a voice Zoro immediately recognised as Nami's replied.

"Here's the room card. You can use your ID card to access your room when you get it, but until then just make-do with this."

"Thank you very much," Nami said politely.

"I hope you'll like your room!" the front desk person said cheerfully.

"I will!" Nami called as her footsteps began to head the other way. _The other way._ As soon as Zoro's reflexes kicked in, he hurried after the remaining sound of her heels clicking further away. When he rounded the corner, he caught a glimpse of vibrant orange just as the elevator doors slammed shut. _Should I wait for the elevator to come back down, or use the stairs instead?_

Zoro decided to go for the stairs; the elevator wasn't worth the wait. Taking the steps by twos, sometimes even threes, Zoro reached the top in no time. Just as he made it up, there was a 'ding' and the elevator doors opened.

"Nami!" Zoro shouted. She startled, then narrowed her eyes as she realised who was standing in front of her.

"Came to snap at me some more, have you?" Nami glared at him. "Well, I don't want to hear it." She turned to leave, but Zoro grabbed her arm almost desperately and clutched onto it, preventing her from moving any further.

"Look, Nami – I'm sorry. I was acting like a jerk, okay?"

Nami blinked, seeming unsure of his apology. Just as Zoro thought he had some hope, she yanked her arm from his grip, snapping," You expect me to forgive you?"

Zoro sighed in exasperation – why did she have to be so deliberately difficult? He had come out of his way to apologise, and she didn't even want to listen. Still, he kept his calm and replied, "No."

"Then why are you here?" By now Nami was almost yelling. Her expression was filled with pain, fury… and hatred.

Zoro hated that she hated him. He hated himself for making her hate him. But really, who could he blame? It was his recklessness that this whole fight started in the first place.

"I just want you to hear me out before you decide to hate me."

"Fine- go ahead. I'm listening." Nami crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly.

Zoro took a deep breath. _You'd better not screw it up this time._

"Kuina was… a girl I met at one of the dojos I trained at when I was little. She was very good at sword fighting, especially for a girl, and I always wanted to beat her – even though she was practically unbeatable. " Zoro stopped for a moment, searching Nami's face for signs of… something. Anything. When he didn't find any, he continued talking.

"But I never gave up," Zoro said, "and one night I challenged her to a match with real swords. In the end, I still lost. And then we made a pact that one of us would become the world's greatest swordfighter. But…" He had to swallow to get the words out, "The next day Kuina… she… passed away. She died from falling down the stairs," Zoro finished quietly. He glanced over to Nami, relieved to find that her expression had softened a little.

"Before, I felt so overcome with grief… and anger… I couldn't control my emotions any longer… so I let it out on you. I'm sorry."

Zoro wasn't sure why he'd just revealed his whole past to a girl he just met several hours ago; he'd never done it before - it depressed him and made him mad. Yet after his confession, Zoro felt good. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, like the burden was lighter. He also realised that, in many ways, Nami was a lot like Kuina. Fearless and bold personality, fiery temper, and the same kind of determination and stubbornness as well.

They stood there for a while, in silence, until there was a sudden 'ding' from the elevator. Vivi walked out and she looked from Nami to Zoro, raising an eyebrow at their close distance. Both blushed and took several steps back.

Vivi only smirked. "Well, I'll leave you guys to your talk. See ya." She then turned to proceed down the hallway, waving as she went.

There was another long moment of awkward silence between them. Zoro was the first to break it. "So…" he trailed off, running a hand through his short green hair. "Are we okay?"

Nami sighed, as if she didn't want to forgive him but she had no choice but to. "I guess," she said, looking down at her feet. Zoro felt his whole body relax, and let out the breath he didn't realise he'd been holding.

"You know, I know exactly how it feels to watch a loved one die," Nami spoke up in a soft voice.

"I didn't mean – " She cut him off by placing a finger against his lips. "Ssh, it's okay. I forgive you, remember?" To Zoro's disappointment, Nami lifted her finger and instead beckoned him towards her.

"Follow me," she ordered. Despite the fact that Zoro hated obeying commands, he numbly followed. She led him down the corridor, to what he assumed was her room. Pulling out the room card and sliding it in, she opened the door with a click.

"Wow!" Nami exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with delight. "This place is amazing!" After surveying the room and exploring some of the furniture, she noticed that Zoro was still standing in the doorway.

"Come on in, I'm not going to bite." Zoro stopped himself from rolling his eyes. _One moment she's mad at me, and the next she lets me into her _room. _Women these days._

Nami seemed to take his reluctance as confusion instead. "I thought we would have some more privacy in here while we talk," she explained, blushing a little.

_She's so cute when she blushes._

"…Talk?" Zoro questioned, trying to drag his thoughts away from _that_ specific area.

"Yeah, well," Nami blushed further. "Since you told me your story, it's only fair I tell you mine."

"Are you sure?" Zoro asked, concerned. It had taken him all his guts to tell her about his past – was she ready to tell him hers?

"I'm sure," Nami insisted. She sat down on one of the beds and patted the spot beside her for Zoro. After hesitating a little, he nodded and sat down next to her.

"I was an orphan," she began. "I was raised by my adoptive mother Bellemere, along with my sister Nojiko."

"Were you and your sister related?"

Nami shook her head. "No. Bellemere found us both and took us in."

Already, Zoro was starting to feel the angst in her past. Did she even know who her real mother was? He sure as hell didn't. Zoro held one of her small, delicate hands in his own rough, calloused ones, and nodded for her to continue.

Nami's expression was becoming faraway; distant. "We lived a happy and peaceful life… until Arlong came… and destroyed everything."

_Flashback..._

"_Nami, Nojiko! Quickly, hide!" Genzo urged the two young girls, aged only ten and twelve. They scrambled behind some bushes, quivering in fear._

"_Since you don't have enough money to pay for yourself, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to kill you," said the tall, broad shouldered man with a long, jagged nose._

"_Very well," Bellemere smiled slightly, then whispered, "Nami… Nojiko… I love you."_

_BANG! The deafening sound of a gunshot was heard, and Bellemere fell to the ground, blood flowing freely from her chest._

_"BELLEMERE!" The two girls jumped out from behind the bushes, tears streaming down their cheeks like waterfalls. They ran over to their mother, sobbing and clinging to her body._

_Arlong, not at all moved by the scene, ordered his men to grab the children and take them away._

"_Stop!" Genzo cried. "They are only children; you have no right to harm them!"_

_Arlong rolled his eyes in irritation. He clicked his fingers, and one of his men lashed out at Genzo, creating bloody slashes across his chest. _

"_Stop…" Genzo staggered, and collapsed onto the ground. _

"_You might as well finish him off as well," Arlong said in a bored tone._

"_Boss!" Hatchi ran to him, handing him a piece of paper. "Look at this!"_

"_Don't touch that!" Ten year old Nami shouted, still crying. "It's mine, I drew it!"_

"_Oh?" Arlong unfolded the paper, and studied it with interest. "Impressive," he said, grinning sadistically. "Take the little brat with us, she might be useful."_

_Nami screamed and kicked, but it was no use. She had no hope of escaping._

_End of flashback._

Zoro squeezed Nami's hands when a tear slipped down her cheek. She took her hand out of Zoro's for a moment to rub away the tear.

"I worked under him for many years," she said, her voice cracking every now and then. "I drew maps for him, and stole to earn him money. Miraculously, one day the police managed to get rid of him. It was the happiest day of my life – I was free, out of his horrible grasp. But the pain's still there, deep inside, and I've never forgotten or forgave what he did to Bellemere. "

Nami met his eyes for a brief instant before looking up at the ceiling. "Genzo, Nojiko and I moved here and started a new life. That's the whole reason why I'm here, really."

Zoro felt worse than ever. "I'm so sorry, Nami. I didn't know."

Nami laughed a harsh, joyless laugh. "Of course you didn't."

Zoro moved closer to the broken girl, and wrapped a strong arm around her shoulder. A voice at the back of his mind was shrieking 'What do you think you're doing?! Back off! She's gonna kill you!' – but he ignored it. He felt her lean into his embrace, felt her tears soak his shirt, and he smiled.

"You know I'm here for you, right?"

* * *

**Yaaaayyy! We're finally up to some ZoNa! Seriously, writing the first few chapters were incredibly boring -.- So, let's talk a bit about this chapter, shall we? I tried to describe Nami's childhood as best I could, but I had to leave out a few parts because it didn't fit in with the story. The Arlong arc was one of my favourites! Probably because it was all about my fave OP character :3 (yes, I admire Nami...) If you haven't watched it, you really should! Okay, bye now - thanks for reading! Love you all! ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer - I do NOT own One Piece.**

**Eh, so we're finally up to chapter five. (Things have been happening quickly!) This _may_ be the halfway point of this story, because I'm planning ten or so chapters in total. Why not make it longer? Well, as I told KimuraMinami... I'm not good at writing long stories and I don't want this to go for too long, otherwise my writing will get boring and repetitive. I'm not even sure I'll ever write another multichapter again, this might be the only one. :( Sorry to those who do like long stories (I do too), but I'm not that good of a writer yet!**

* * *

Chapter Five – Kiss?

It had been a week since she'd first come to Grand Line Academy.

The time had flown by so quickly she could hardly believe that she had stayed here for an entire week.

Nami smiled to herself; she was glad that she had come here. For the first time ever, she'd actually made a female friend! She finally had someone who didn't judge her like everyone else did – someone who she could tell her secrets to, ask for advice, and go shopping with. As well as a best friend, she also had Luffy and the others… which, of course, included Zoro.

Ever since that confrontation and apology back on the first day, they had been getting… closer, somehow. Sure, they still argued, called each other names and bossed each other around, but they had come to an understanding of some sort. And both Zoro and Nami seemed to be content the way they were.

But lately Nami had started thinking about him… differently. Not as friends, but something more than that. She imagined those rough, calloused hands of his touching her skin, and his strong arms circling around her waist. She imagined his rugged lips, caressing her hair and her face. Was it so wrong to _want_ him?

"Nami!" She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Vivi say her name.

"Geez, I called your name three names and you didn't answer. What planet are you on today? Mars?"

"Sorry," Nami apologised, grinning sheepishly. "I was just thinking."

"Oh? About what?" Vivi asked, studying her face. The pink hue which suddenly appeared on her friend's cheeks told her everything she needed to know.

"Thinking about Zoro?" she teased, causing Nami to blush even further in embarrassment of being caught in her head.

"What's wrong with that?" Nami retorted hotly.

"Are you guys… you know –"

"No, we're _not,_" Nami cut in before Vivi could finish her sentence. "We're just friends."

"Why do I get the feeling you're more than _just friends_?"

Nami stayed silent.

"Nami." She looked up at the seriousness in Vivi's voice. "Be true to your feelings."

"…I know," Nami said. "Thank you for… caring," she added softly.

"Don't worry about it," Vivi smiled brightly. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Nami nodded, once again moved by her friend's loyalty.

"Alright, now let's hurry to class – we're going to be late!"

* * *

The group was gathered around their usual spot in front of the oak tree, casually discussing their plans for the weekend.

"Hey, how about we go out tomorrow?" Luffy asked, his eyes gleaming at the thought of adventure.

"Good idea!" Vivi exclaimed happily. "After all, we get the whole of Saturday and Sunday off."

"Where should we go?" Chopper questioned.

"How about the beach?" Franky suggested.

"Wouldn't it be too cold?" Vivi pointed out.

"I like the sound of the beach," Sanji said, twirling about with hearts in his eyes. He smiled dreamily. "I'll get to see Nami-swan and Vivi-chwan in their bikinis… and many other beautiful women as well… oh, it's heaven." After that, he passed out from a nose bleed.

"Oh no!" Chopper screamed in horror. "Someone get a doctor!"

"THAT'S YOU!" the others shouted at the poor boy.

"Huh?" Oh, right." Out of nowhere, Chopper produced a stethoscope and pressed it to

Sanji's chest. After a moment, he let out a breath of relief. "He'll be fine," he informed them. "He's just suffering minor blood loss."

Nobody was really paying him or Sanji any attention.

"How about the amusement park?" Nami asked, cocking her head to the side as she thought.

"Another possible option," Vivi agreed. "Okay! Let's vote for either the beach or amusement park. You're only allowed to choose _one,_" she added, specifically eyeing Luffy.

Franky, Usopp, and also Sanji (despite the fact Nami made the other suggestion) voted for the beach.

Nami, Vivi, Luffy and Chopper voted for the amusement park.

Zoro didn't vote.

When Usopp asked him about it, the green haired swordsman just shrugged, saying he didn't care where they went.

"Amusement park it is," Vivi confirmed. "Meet here at eleven?"

The others nodded their heads in agreement.

"Wait!" Luffy piped up. "Morning or night?"

Everyone face palmed.

"ISN'T THAT OBVIOUS?!"

* * *

"Wow!" Luffy yelled, throwing his hands up in the air to show his excitement. "So many fun rides~!"

He, Chopper and Usopp did a funny little dance together while singing a song.

Even the more mature members of the group were in awe – the sight before them was truly amazing.

"I hardly know where to start!" Vivi exclaimed.

"It seems this park is split into four split into four sections," Nami, who was studying the map, informed.

"Ooooh~ I wanna go on that ride!" Luffy cried, pointing to a particularly freaky looking rollercoaster. "Anyone coming with me?"

"I'll go with you," Vivi offered.

_Making her move, is she?_ Nami knew that Vivi hated rollercoasters, especially high ones like the one Luffy pointed to – but it looked like she was willing to overcome that fear for the sake of the black haired boy.

"Can I come too?" Chopper asked them.

"Of course, Chopper!" Luffy replied, positively beaming.

As the trio started to walk away, Nami gave Vivi a wink and thumbs up. "Meet back here at four!" she called after them.

"Me and long-nose bro are going to check out Tomorrowland," Franky said, making that pose of his again. (A/N: Yes, this is stolen from Disneyland… xD)

"Sure, go on ahead. Remember to come back here afterwards," Nami told him. After Franky and Usopp disappeared, she realised that she was left with Sanji and Zoro. _Crap,_ she thought, slapping herself on the forehead.

"Is something wrong, Nami-swan?" Sanji asked, a concerned expression on his face.

"No, not really." Nami glanced up at him and Zoro. "So where are you two heading?"

"I would be happy to accompany my angel anywhere she wishes," Sanji claimed.

"I'll come too," Zoro added gruffly.

"Why do _you_ have to come?" Sanji snapped, clearly unhappy about Zoro tagging along he and Nami's 'time alone'.

"Why not?" Zoro snapped back, his jaw clenching.

Before Sanji would reply, Nami hit them each on the head. "Cut it out!" she shouted. "How can I have a decent time here with you fighting all the time?"

Both guys hung their heads guiltily.

"There, that wasn't so hard was it?" Nami returned to looking at the map. "How about we check out the water rides first?"

For some reason water always thrilled her – maybe because she grew up near the sea and she found the way it functioned interesting when she was a child. Even now, water refreshed her when she needed something to clear her mind.

"Hai, Nami-swan~ Your wish is my command!" Sanji cooed.

Ignoring the irritation she felt at the honorific he had added to her name, Nami started walking. Sanji and Zoro both trailed after her – Sanji for obvious reasons and Zoro because he would get lost if he didn't.

An hour later…

"Can't we go somewhere more interesting?" Zoro complained.

"No!" Nami glared at him. "You decided to come with us, so you have to go along with whatever we're doing."

"That's right, moss-head!" Sanji chimed in.

"But shouldn't I get at least _one_ say in where we're going?"

"Argh! Fine," Nami sighed in exasperation. She stared at him pointedly. "Hurry up and decide already, mister-do-what-I-say."

There was suddenly a wicked grin on Zoro's face, and Nami almost felt nervous about what he was going to say. _Almost._

"I say we check out the haunted house," he said. "I bet there'll be lots of ghosts and stuff in there."

_Shit! Why'd he pick_ _there_, _of all places_?Zoro smirked when Nami's face paled to a colourless shade of white.

"N-no way!" Nami stammered. "I'm not going in there to see some stupid ghost."

"Why not? It'll be fun." She could've sworn there was a glint of mischief in those dark eyes of his. Was Zoro playing with her? How dare he!

"Well, I'm not going," Nami said, crossing her arms defiantly.

"What? Are you scared?" Somehow he'd leaned closer to her, and she could feel his hot breath fanning over her skin, making her shudder ever so slightly. He seemed to notice what he was doing and pulled back, a faint blush on his cheeks.

"Where's Sanji?" Nami asked suddenly, finally realising that the blonde cook had disappeared. She and Zoro looked over to the sound of someone pouring out a really sappy love poem.

Sure enough, they saw Sanji trying to impress some chick by one of the snack stalls.

"Leave him," Zoro growled. He took Nami by the arm and dragged her towards the haunted house.

"Hey! Let me go!" Nami shrieked. "I never agreed to this!"

But Zoro's grip was too strong and no matter how much she twisted and squirmed, she couldn't get her arm out of his grasp.

"You owe me," Nami grumbled, pouting.

Zoro only laughed.

She'd rarely heard him laugh, but when he did it sounded like music to her ears. If only he laughed more often.

As they reached the entrance, they were greeted by a short bold headed man.

"Entrance for two?" he asked them.

Zoro nodded but Nami could tell he was annoyed by the rather pointless question.

"You had better take good care of your girlfriend," the man continued, nodding at Zoro. "It gets quite frightening in there."

Nami grimaced at that.

"She's not my girl-"

"Now, hurry along," the man interrupted. "Other customers are waiting." He urged them into the dark corridor, and waved to them as they went further in. "Good luck!"

"It's so dark in here!" Nami whined. "I can't see anything!"

Zoro chuckled, "That's the point."

_Damn him and his cocky attitude! _Even in the blackness, Nami still managed to give him a good kick in the shins.

"Oww! Shit Nami, what was that for?"

"For being a bastard," she replied smoothly, taking a tentative step forwards. _This place is creepy_. She'd never liked the dark, and she _especially _didn't like not knowing where she was going.

When Zoro didn't answer, Nami felt fear build up in her stomach. "Zoro?" she whispered. After getting no reply, she repeated, louder this time, "Zoro?"

_Uh oh._ Nami gulped. _Did he get lost already? _

Despite her telling herself that it was only an attraction at the park, she couldn't help but feel uneasy without Zoro beside her. His presence alone comforted her and made her feel safe; protected. He was like her shield, and without him, she was defenceless.

Nami was so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice a glowing skeleton suddenly pop up in front of her. When she did finally see what was in front of her, she screamed and lost her balance. She almost hit the floor until a strong, muscular arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her up and stopping her fall.

"Zoro," Nami breathed, feeling insanely relieved.

"Quit falling over, witch," came his steady reply.

Blushing, Nami remembered how he caught her on the very first day when she'd bumped into him in the hallway. And now he'd saved her from falling on her ass for the second time.

"S-shut up," Nami managed to mutter, thankful he couldn't see her blush in the darkness. "It's your fault that thing scared the hell out of me!"

She heard Zoro scoff, "My fault? I saved you!"

"Fine, we're even." Nami surrendered just a little, she didn't want to be stuck in this pitch black place forever. "Can we get out of here now?"

"Hmph." Zoro pulled her upwards, probably meaning to help her stand, but since he couldn't see, the distance between them was misjudged and Nami felt something… soft… and moist… lock onto her lips. _Wait – something soft and moist?_

For a moment neither of them moved. After they each came to their senses, they quickly broke apart, heavy blushes sported on their faces. Nami's heart was beating so fast she was sure that Zoro could hear it in her chest. Then the reality of what just happened exploded in her mind. _Did we just… kiss?_

* * *

**The kiss was kinda sudden, wasn't it? But it _was_ an accident, after all. I can't seem to make it any more detailed, and I think it****'s best if I leave it that way. I hope it doesn't seem too rushed -.- (There I go again - worrying about this and that... I have to say, I'm a rather pessimistic person.) I was going to have the rest of the amusement park trip in this chapter, but it was getting too long so you'll just have to make-do with what there is. On the other hand, I've been working on another ZoNa fic (It's an one-shot but it's pretty long) and it should be up in a day or two. I won't spoil it too much, but it's themed on the rainbow. Keep your eyes open! And please review! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer - I'd be rich if I owned One Piece. Sadly, I don't.**

**First of all, I owe you all a _big _apology for the late update. I've been really busy recently and I haven't had much time to write. Or patience. Hope you all forgive me :') I'll try and get back to my normal update pace, but I can't promise. I _will_ promise, though, that this story will be completed - no matter what. I know plenty of authors who give up on their stories and leave the readers hanging, and I promise I won't be one of those authors. Sooo~ Anyway, now that I've apologised... onto the story. Enjoy! :3**

* * *

Chapter Six – Advice

Zoro could feel his face burning when he pulled away from Nami and realised what they had done. They'd _kissed_. And the embarrassing part was that he enjoyed it!

"S-sorry," he mumbled, trying to regain his composure. "I didn't mean to… to…"

"It's okay," Nami said. "I mean, it was an accident, right?"

"Yeah. An accident," Zoro repeated, feeling somewhat depressed. He'd kind of hoped their kiss wasn't an accident, but real. _But that's not possible, _the logical part of his brain told himself.

When she didn't say anything, he added, "Let's get out of here."

After he felt her nod, he grabbed her hand reflexively. When he realised what he was doing, he was considering whether he should let go or not. He expected Nami to realise it too and slap his hand away, but she didn't. In fact, she gripped it tighter.

"Like you could lead us, idiot," she teased, tugging him forwards.

Before they even got outside, they heard a familiar voice chanting, "Nami-swaaaaaaaannnn~ Where is my precious angel? That bastard better keep her safe or I'll kick his ass! Nami –"

Sanji was interrupted by Zoro's punch in the jaw. "Who are you calling a bastard?"

"Oh, there you are, Nami-san," Sanji crooned, not even noticing the green haired swordsman or the punch he'd received. "I missed you so much, my darling~ I am most relieved to see that you are unharmed."

"You're the one to talk," Zoro muttered, earning himself a kick in his stomach and crashing into a brick wall.

When Zoro recovered, he shouted, "What the hell, ero-cook?"

"That was for earlier," Sanji replied, a smug look on his face. Zoro wanted to wipe that smug look off that shitty face of his.

"U-um… would you mind taking your fights somewhere else?" a stall owner asked timidly. "You're scaring away my customers."

"Yes, of course. How inconsiderate of us," Nami said sweetly, batting her eyelashes at the poor male. "We'll be leaving right now, I promise. Come on, you guys." She grabbed one of their ears each and dragged them away, leaving the stall owner looking after her with a slightly mesmerised expression.

Nami released their ears once they had gone a far enough distance. Zoro rubbed his irritably – man, it really hurt. On the other hand, Sanji didn't seem affected by it at all. _Typical._

The three of them walked in silence for a while, not really going in a particular direction, just wandering. Suddenly Nami let out a high pitched squeal. "Awww~ This is so cute!" She pressed her face against the glass of one of those prize-winning machines – the prize, in this case, being mini plushies. _Typical, _Zoro thought for the second time that day.

"Would you like me to win it for you, Nami-swan?" Sanji offered. Nami glanced at Zoro for a brief second before nodding enthusiastically.

"Yes, please!" she beamed at him, causing Zoro to feel a pang of jealousy in his chest. Wasn't she just kissing _him _moments ago? _But it was an accident. It wasn't genuine. _Zoro realised that after that kiss, he would never think of Nami the same way ever again. He gulped when she gave him a quizzical look, and shrugged back at her uneasily. He then turned his eyes to Sanji, who was failing miserably at his given task.

"Damn this thing!" he roared, banging his hands down onto the control pad.

"Careful, Sanji-kun," Nami cautioned. "Don't break it."

_Sanji-kun. _She never added a 'kun' to his name before; she'd only ever called him 'Zoro'. Sure, that was his name, but he wanted to be special. He wanted her to give him a nickname that she gave nobody else. Did that make him selfish?

Zoro tsked as the cook accidentally dropped the toy again. _Selfish or not…_

"Let me try," he growled, pushing Sanji out of the way.

"You?" Sanji scoffed, as if the idea of him trying to win the toy was beyond impossible. In some ways, it was. Ignoring the insult, Zoro studied the control pad carefully. _So you just move this thing to pick up the toy, right?_

He gripped the stick and tilted it a little to the right. Sure enough, the claw moved in the same direction. When it was hovering above the stripey green and black tiger she wanted, Zoro moved the stick downwards to lower the claw down to the toy.

_What do you do to open the… Oh, here it is. _Zoro pressed the yellow button with clearly said 'OPEN' on it and the claw opened. He clutched it around the tiger before pressing another button, this time red and said 'CLOSE'.

_Almost there. _Zoro's palms felt sweaty as he felt Sanji and Nami's eyes on the claw as it gradually inched towards the opening. _Just a little bit more to the left… a tiny bit forwards… and… _

"Yes!" Zoro and Nami both cheered as the toy fell into the hole.

"Thank you, Zoro!" Nami cried, throwing her arms around his neck as an expression as an expression of gratitude. The feeling scarcely had time to register before she hurriedly pulled away, a blush flaming on her cheeks. Behind him, Sanji was eyeing them suspiciously.

"Here," Zoro said awkwardly, handing her the tiger.

Nami took it and pressed it to her cheek, smiling. Zoro smiled as well; he loved seeing her smile. And he loved even more that he was the cause of it.

"How about we go grab some lunch?" Nami suggested, slinging an arm around each man's shoulders with the toy tiger in one hand.

"Of course, Nami-swaaaaaan~~~!" Sanji did his usual twirl, which Zoro thought made him look like an idiot. But then again, Sanji always looked like an idiot. Right now, Zoro was in too much of a good mood to care.

* * *

It was late afternoon and everyone sat in the girls' room back at school, exchanging the day's adventures. Luffy was in the middle of telling what happened with him, Vivi and Chopper on the rollercoaster. "And then suddenly there was this HUGE drop that made us go down _really _fast! It was AWESOME!" Luffy exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "Wasn't it, Vivi?" he turned to the blue haired girl.

"Yes it was," Vivi agreed, nodding happily.

Zoro smirked a little; it seemed like she and Luffy were getting along quite well. It was impossible to not see the connection between the two.

"Hey Zoro, where did you go?" Luffy questioned.

"Nowhere in particular… just got dragged around to different places by the witch."

"Excuse me?" Nami glowered at him. "How dare you call me a witch?"

Zoro grimaced when her eyes took on a murderous glint in them. Sure, she looked extra cute when she was angry, but it was better to stay on her good side. She was _not_ cute when she was angry at _him._

"You were the one who made us go to that stupid haunted house!" Nami yelled, throwing a punch at his face, which he dodged easily.

"_You _picked all the other places!" Zoro yelled back.

"Wow, you went to a haunted house?!" Luffy asked, looking amazed.

"You did?" Sanji thundered. "Since when?!"

"Since you ditched us for that brunette chick…" Zoro heard Nami mumble. _Take that, cook._

"C-can you guys stop fighting?" Chopper pleaded.

"Chopper's right!" Franky piped up."Fighting is not…"

"Super. Yeah, we all know already." Nami, Zoro, Usopp, Vivi and Sanji chorused at the same time. Luffy just laughed. Chopper looked confused.

"Well, looks like everyone had fun," Vivi said, getting up from her sitting position. "Let's head to dinner." Everyone else got up automatically, and started towards the door. Zoro only managed to take several steps forward before Vivi interrupted. "Wait a second, Zoro. I want to talk to you."

Zoro kept as cool and unaffected as possible as everyone gave him quizzical looks. When he met Nami's, her expression was blank, devoid from any emotion or feeling. It was impossible to read what she was thinking.

"Sure," he answered calmly, folding his arms over his chest in a bored manner.

"Guys, could you leave us alone for a while?" Vivi requested.

"You'd better not be doing anything nasty to Vivi-chwan," Sanji spat in his face as he passed.

Instead of replying, Zoro glanced over to Nami to see her reaction to his statement. Still nothing.

_Doesn't this affect her at all, or is she just that good at hiding her feelings?_

After everyone, including Nami, left, Vivi sat down in the centre of her room and beckoned him to come sit next to her. Slowly and hesitantly, he did.

"So, Zoro. Ever thought about having a girlfriend?" Vivi began, looking at him in the eye.

_Uh oh. _ Zoro wasn't sure what she was up to, but it definitely wasn't good.

"Why?" he asked, trying to avoid the question. Too bad for him, Vivi sensed it.

"No reason," she replied casually. "But really, have you?"

"Of… of course I have," Zoro grumbled. "I _am_ a guy, after all."

Vivi cocked her head to the side, as if she wasn't sure what to make of his statement. She finally said, "Good to know."

When Zoro narrowed his eyes at her, she quickly added, "It's just that you never seem interested in girls, that's all. Have you even had a girlfriend before?"

"…no," Zoro blushed as he confessed the truth. So what if he hadn't had a girlfriend before? It wasn't like he _couldn't_ get a girlfriend - with practically every girl in the school chasing after his ass, he had plenty of opportunities to have one. He just wasn't interested in any of them. Maybe Vivi's assumption would've been true, if Nami didn't come along. But she did, and that proved that he _was_ interested in women, just very few.

"Say, do you like someone?" Vivi continued to pester him.

"W-why should I tell you?" Zoro denied, pretending to study the wallpaper.

"Ah, so you do!" Vivi smiled gleefully. "Who is it?"

"…"

"…"

"None of your business."

"Oh, come on Zoro," Vivi said, her voice and expression softening. "I just want to help."

"I know. That's the only reason I'm not cutting you to pieces right now."

"Wh-wha… excuse me?" Vivi blinked a few times. "Hey, so much for being nice!" she retorted, huffing.

Zoro snorted.

"Okay, I get it – you have your secrets. But can you at least give me a clue?"

Zoro sighed, but Nami's image had suddenly appeared in his mind and wouldn't go away until he described her out loud.

"…urgh," He groaned. "Well… she's different from every other girl I've met. She's smart, fiery, has an attitude… as she's stubborn."

Vivi was watching him in amusement. "Can you tell me something _positive_ about her?"

_Oh, that's easy. _He could go on and on about Nami's virtues, but instead he found himself unsure of what to say.

"Ah… well. She's… she's very… pretty." Zoro managed to get out. When he saw that he had triggered even more amusement in Vivi's expression, he wondered if he'd said too much. He probably had. Who else was as stubborn as Nami? Or sassy? And pretty?

"Okay, I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to promise you'll answer it truthfully. You promise?"

"That depends on what your question is," Zoro regarded her suspiciously.

"_Promise,_" Vivi insisted.

"Fine! Geez, woman." Zoro gave up. "Hurry up and ask your question already."

"Here goes." Vivi paused for an agonisingly long moment before continuing.

"Do you like Nami?"

Zoro choked on his own spit. He was kind of expecting it, but hearing her say it out loud made him gag.

"W-wait. What kind of question is that?" he said, coughing a little.

"A plausible one. Now answer it," Vivi ordered. "Truthfully. You promised."

"…" There was another awkward moment of silence between them.

The truth was, he _did _like Nami. He'd tried to ignore his feelings at first, but somehow he'd changed from having a small crush on her to falling head-over-heels in love with her. There was no way he could deny it any longer. And when they kissed… it was a feeling Zoro never imagined himself to feel. It was amazing… no, _electrifying._ He doubted that any other girl could make him feel like that. And he wanted to do it again. He wanted more.

There was nothing wrong with liking Nami – in fact, it was _not_ normal for a guy to not feel an attraction towards her. So why keep denying it?

_She might not like me back, _Zoro realised. That was the whole reason why he'd been holding back. He didn't want to hurt her; make her do anything she didn't want. But when he held her and kissed her, it just felt… right. Like it was meant to be. Even though the kiss had mainly been an accident. It was like fate had planned for them to be together.

So he whispered, "Yes. I do like her. Happy now?"

And Vivi positively beamed. "Good answer, Zoro," she praised. "It was obvious, anyway."

Zoro reddened. _Was it really?_

"Never mind about that," Vivi broke through his thoughts. "The thing is, I think you two have a chance - you're just too stubborn to admit it. "You're alike in that way." Both of their mouths widened into a little smile at that. "But like you said, Nami's pretty. If you don't make a move soon, she's gonna get taken by some other guy."

Zoro was quiet for a while. "What if she rejects me?" he asked. He didn't think he could stand a rejection from Nami; he'd go insane.

"Then at least you'd know," Vivi calmly answered. "But," she added, as an afterthought, "She won't, I'm sure."

"Please, Zoro. It doesn't hurt to try."

_Easy for you to say. _Zoro sighed again, "I'll think about it, okay?"

"I guess that would do for now," Vivi agreed.

After a moment, Zoro said, "I think you should too."

Vivi startled. "I'm sorry, what?"

Zoro leaned back against the bed and folded his arms behind his head. "Make a move on Luffy. Let him know how you feel."

Vivi blushed, but recovered quickly. "Oh, so now you're the expert?"

"I never said I was," Zoro retorted.

"I was just kidding," Vivi laughed and slapped his arm lightly. "So. How about we confess together?"

Zoro grinned. "Why not?"

* * *

**YES. This chapter is finally done! It wasn't that hard to write, actually, it was just because - well, you know. I know the ending seemed a bit ZoVi-ish, but it was mostly friendship. By the way, f****or those who have noticed (You probably would have), I changed my pen name to 'cookiedough.x3' when it used to be 'bUbbLeGuM.x3'. I _am _still the same person! Sorry if it confuses you, you'll get used to it ;P Alright, I've got nothing else to say, so... until next time. If you've forgiven me, please leave a review - it would be appreciated :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer - As always, One Piece doesn't belong to me :P**

**Let me warn you on some things first. This is going to be a _very _fast paced chapter, and it may seem rushed. The ending also includes a brief make-out session...! Okay, that's not really a warning. -.- (It's not long anyway) If you're ready, read on!**

**I love you, all my reviewers, followers, favouriters and even readers. xox**

* * *

Chapter Seven - Confession

_In the assistant principal's office~_

"Monkey D Luffy and Roronoa Zoro," the assistant principal of Grand Line Academy, Crocodile, began. "While your sports and recreational activities are going well, I am not pleased with... your academic standards."

Luffy and Zoro both held back a groan.

"Luffy, you scored 2 out of 30 on your last algebra quiz, and Zoro, you scored 4 out of 30. That would earn you both an F," Crocodile said, "which means _fail._"

"But that was just one test!" Luffy protested.

"How about the 1 out of 20 you got on your spelling test?" Crocodile countered, causing Luffy to pout. "You two are doing the worst in all of your grade level," he continued in a harsh tone. "And if you want to graduate with the rest of your classmates, we're going to have to do something about it."

"Like what?" Zoro asked, glaring at Crocodile.

"I'm going to assign you tutors," Crocodile stated matter-of-factly.

"WHAT?" Zoro yelled. "No!"

"Tutors?" Luffy enquired, picking his nose.

"Yes," the assistant principal answered, wisely deciding to not say anything about Luffy's rude behaviour. "She's going to hopefully help you lift up your grades."

_She? _Zoro thought in horror. _No, not her. Not Tashigi. Please don't let it be Tashigi. Please. Anyone but Tashigi._

He'd been tutored by Tashigi before, last year, and it was pure torture. There was no way he was going through it again. He held his breath as Crocodile announced the names of their assigned tutors.

"Luffy, your tutor is Vivi, and Zoro… yours is Nami."

Crocodile squinted at the paper he was reading from and feigned an interested expression. "Ah, the new girl. I've heard that her grades are on the top. She'll do you good," he turned to Zoro, who rolled his eyes. _Grades, grades, and grades. Is that really the only thing he cares about?_

Despite that, he and Luffy grinned at each other. This was going to be rather interesting.

* * *

"Urgh! How did I get stuck as your tutor?" Nami yelled, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "I told you already – once you move a number to the other side of the equation, it's reversed. So if you move 3x over here, it becomes minus 3x! Get it know?"

"Uh…" Zoro cleared his throat. He honestly didn't get how this stuff made any sense to her. "So… it turns opposite… right?"

"Yes!" Nami cried. "Seriously, was it _that _hard to understand?" She sighed and rubbed her temples. After taking a few deep breaths and calming herself down, she tapped her pencil on her book. "Alright. Now solve this equation."

When Zoro finished scribbling his answer down, Nami asked, "Done?"

"I think so?" Zoro mumbled, scratching his head uneasily. As Nami read his answer, a vein popped on her forehead.

"WEREN'T YOU LISTENING AT ALL?!" she screamed, shoving the book into his face and shaking it vigorously. "x is MINUS 7! How could you forget that freaking minus sign? Huh?! Answer me!"

"How should I know?" Zoro complained, trying to push away the book she was shoving in his face. _Wrong move. _He literally just pressed the button on her which said 'explode'.

"WHO ELSE IS SUPPOSED TO KNOW?!" Nami shrieked.

Before she could hit him with the book, he grabbed her wrists with both of his hands and held them there, preventing any movement she attempted to make.

"Let me go, you asshole!" Nami squeaked, wriggling with all her might but with no success whatsoever.

"Calm down, woman," Zoro grunted.

"Calm down? How am I supposed to _calm down_ with you holding my wrists like that? It hurts, you know. Bastard."

Zoro tried to hold back the guilty feeling that was settling in his stomach. This was _her _fault, not his.

"Well, _sorry_," he said sarcastically. "You're the one acting like a mad woman here. I'm just an innocent bystander."

"Innocent bystander? Then can you let go of me now?" Nami narrowed her eyes at him.

Zoro wordlessly released his grip on her wrists. He saw her make a show of rubbing them and complain how sore they were. At least, he _hoped it_ was a show.

"Can we get on with this thing already?" Zoro pleaded. He didn't really want to continue his algebra lesson; he just wanted to do _something._

"No, we'll take a break," Nami decided, wiping some sweat off her brow. She got up and went to the mini fridge she kept in the kitchen. "Want a snack?"

"…Do you have any beer?" Zoro asked, peering over her shoulder to see the inside of the fridge.

Nami rolled her eyes. "You know we're not allowed to keep beer in our rooms. It's a school rule." She rummaged around the fridge and brought out two cokes. "Just make-do with this," she said tossing one to him.

Zoro opened the can and took a sip. "I feel like Franky," he murmured.

The two sat in silence for a while, the only sounds being the movement of the liquid inside the can and sipping noises. After they finished their drinks, Nami walked over to the table they were studying on and sat down. "Alright," she began. "Let's start from scratch. I mean it," she added when Zoro stared at her in disbelief.

"Are you kidding?" he whined. "Do we have to?"

"Yes we do," Nami insisted. "This time I'll be patient, I promise."

Zoro sighed and sat down next to her, book open in front of him and pen in hand.

"_Please _don't let it take long," he muttered.

_Two hours later… _

"Good job," Nami stretched, flexing out her sore limbs and muscles. "I think we can be done for today."

"Oh, man." Zoro felt a huge burst of relief escape through him. _Finally._

"I know, it was tough. But we made it through, didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did," Zoro agreed.

Nami smiled. "I wonder how Vivi and Luffy are doing."

"Vivi's probably given up by now," Zoro remarked, snorting.

"Nah. Vivi's real patient, even when it comes to an idiot like Luffy."

Zoro laughed a little. "I guess."

(insert moment of silence here)

He didn't know how it happened, but soon he was enraptured by the beauty of Nami's large, round, chocolate brown eyes, gazing at him. And all of a sudden, Vivi's words came floating back into his mind.

_Make a move. Before it's too late and she gets taken by some other guy._

Zoro knew that a girl like Nami was way out of his league. She was a smart, talented, gorgeous woman who was bound to become a famous cartographer or meteorologist one day. As for him, he was lazy, a badass and slacker who had no ambition at all except to become a master swordsman. Not exactly the best combination, was it? But hell, he was in love. And a man in love could do crazy things. That meant he had to at least give it a try, whether it was a sensible decision or not.

As Zoro opened his mouth to speak, Nami opened hers as well. _Talk about sync._ They looked at each other for a moment until Nami graciously offered," You go first."

"Uh, that's okay. You can," Zoro blushed, feeling stupid.

"No, I'll wait. What were you going to say?"

"…Do you like someone?" Zoro blurted out before he could lose his nerve.

Nami looked surprised at first, but then she smiled. "Yes."

Zoro gulped. _So she does. But… who?_

Before he could voice his question, Nami cut in. "I know. You want to know who it is, right?"

_Damn, am I really that obvious? _Zoro thought half-heartedly, not for the first time.

"I'll give you a clue," Nami said, closing her eyes. "When… when I first met him, I hated his guts immediately. But as we got closer, I got a glimpse of a side of him he rarely revealed. He was dumb, stubborn, inconsiderate, rude… and bad-tempered… but he was also caring… and kinda sweet as well. Soon I found myself falling for him."

Nami's cheeks coloured a little at her confession, but she had a calm, serene look etched across her beautiful features. "He'll probably never like me back," she continued, sighing. "But I don't mind us just being friends. For me, it's enough."

"Who do _you_ like, Zoro?" Nami asked, reaching out a hand to caress his cheek. Zoro found himself touching her fingers, savouring the softness and smooth texture of her skin. As Nami reached out with her other hand, Zoro grasped both of them in his and lowered his lips onto the back of her hand, placing a gentle and tender kiss there. Then he let go of her hands and pulled her into his arms, tangling his fingers in her long orange locks and kissing a trail up her neck and to her chin.

Zoro found himself trapped in a spell that wouldn't let him go. He tilted her face towards his, and not resisting for another second, crushed his lips onto hers.

The kiss was fierce yet sweet. It was different from the first time they had kissed – this time it was more deliberate, and somehow meaningful.

After what seemed like an eternity, Zoro and Nami reluctantly pulled their lips away, gasping for breath.

"Nami… I… I like _you,_" Zoro whispered, his voice coming out muffled as his head was buried in her thick mane of hair. Neither of them noticed the intimidate position they were currently in.

As Nami heard his statement, her eyes rounded for the briefest instant before she pulled his head down for another kiss.

"...I like you too," she murmured against his lips.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on just enjoying the beginning of their relationship.

* * *

**Heheheheheh... fluffy much? ;) There's some awkward parts, and an OOC Zoro, but it's worth it. Sorry about the crap quality of the romancy scenes - having not experienced it myself, I really don't have much of an idea how to write them. (I get most of that 'knowledge' from books and other fanfics. Anyway... please let me know what you think? :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer - How awesome would it be if I owned One Piece? Unfortunately I only own this story and its plot.**

**Wahh! I'm SORRY! I didn't mean to leave you all hanging for over three weeks...! School has been hectic lately and I've been having some problems with the internet too. (That sure didn't help -.-) Other than that, I'm going through a bit of a writer's block too. :( I had the whole thing planned out but actually _writing _it is another story. I would really appreciate it if you dropped me some suggestions. Oh, and also - I don't mean to be a pessimist... but I'm getting the feeling my writing's getting more and more sloppy every chapter. o.O Let's hope that's just my inner doubt talking, shall we?**

* * *

Chapter Eight - Party

Being with Zoro felt like something out of a fantasy. After that first afternoon together, Nami was afraid to wake up and find that it had all been a dream. It certainly felt like one. She wasn't sure what made her confess to him, but she was glad she did. After all, that _did _reveal that he felt the same way about her – and that they were both secretly shy about expressing their feelings.

Nami smiled at the memory of their confessions. It was... awkward, at first. But in the end they got used to each other's company and their relationship. The afternoon ended with a kiss and 'See you at dinner'. They had been grinning like idiots whenever they saw each other since.

"There you are, Nami," Vivi's familiar voice assulted her from behind. "I demand to know what's going on between you and your hot swordsman!"

"Hey Vivi," Nami responded automatically before Vivi's words registered in her head. "Wait, what?"

"You two have been giving each other 'looks' all morning!" Vivi exclaimed. "Don't think anybody wouldn't notice," she chided when Nami's face grew red in embarrassment. "Something _must've_ happened yesterday! What was it? Tell me!"

"...Nothing happened," Nami denied. As much as she loved her best friend, she didn't want her secret out in the open yet, especially when Vivi was the school's queen of gossip.

"Did you guys kiss? Or make out?" Vivi persisted. "Did he confess to you?"

Out of all the protests and questions that was spinning around in her head, Nami asked,"How did you know?"

"He did, didn't he?" Vivi clapped her hands together in glee. "I was his advisor."

"A...advisor?" Nami gaped at her.

_No wonder Zoro suddenly confessed to her!_

"Stop trying to change the subject! Tell me what happened!"

"W-well... we... kissed... and Zoro said he liked me..." Nami muttered, feeling self-conscious.

"Awww. That's so adorable!" Vivi squealed. "So are you, like, a thing? As in, boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"I don't know... I guess you could say that..." Nami trailed off, waiting for Vivi's reaction.

"That's great~ I'm so happy for you!" Vivi gave her a huge hug.

"How about you and Luffy?" Nami asked, curious.

"We didn't get as far as you did," Vivi admitted. "But we did have a really nice chat."

_With Luffy, huh. _"I see. That's always healthy."

Instead of replying, Vivi swore. "Shit! I gotta run. See ya!" She took off just as the final bell rang.

Nami shook her head in amusement and headed in the direction of her own class. She didn't want to get her first detention.

Zoro was waiting at her locker after the period.

"Oh, Zoro. What a surprise," Nami teased. "Waiting for someone?"

"... So what if I am?" he retorted defiantly.

"Nothing. Just asking," Nami replied, swinging open the locker door and placing her books inside. She was mostly expecting him to deny it, and was surprised when he didn't. Zoro wasn't like most guys. He never willingly obeyed any of her selfish commands and he never let her have complete dominance over him either. He was a challenge.

And Nami liked a challenge.

"Hey, Nami?" she startled as Zoro suddenly spoke.

"Yeah?"

"After yesterday... are we... like..."

"Together?" Nami offered.

"Yeah. Are we together?"

Nami inwardly sighed. "Do you _want _to be together?"

"That's a stupid question," he said. "Of course I want to be together."

"Good," Nami smiled, reaching up to run her fingers through his short green hair. She never knew it would feel so... soft. And silky. Touching his hair was going to become an addiction.

"What?"

"Geez. Do you need me to spell it out for you?"

Zoro smirked an utterly irresistable smirk. "No."

Nami lowered her eyelashes demurely and smiled again.

"...Hey, why are they all watching us?" Zoro asked as they approached the old oak, where most of their friends were already gathered.

"No idea." Nami squinted at the group suspiciously. Then something clicked in her brain. "...No way. Did Vivi...?" She sprinted the rest of the way to the tree and practically threw herself on top of the blue haired girl.

"Vivi!" Nami shrieked. "Why did you tell them?"

"I only told Luffy," Vivi protested. "Then he told everyone else."

"Is it true, Nami-sis? You and swords-bro are going out?" Franky tilted his head at her.

_Crap. Even Franky?_

"How did he know?" Zoro said, finally reaching them.

"Nami told Vivi and Vivi told me and then I told everyone else," Luffy explained, not noticing the couple glaring daggers into the back of his head. "Shishishishishishi, sorry guys, but it's nothing you should hide. It's not like we're gonna eat you or something!" He paused thoughtfully. "Hmm~ This news requires a celebration party! Sanji! Meat!" He looked around and blinked. "Oh, Sanji's not here," he said, growing depressed.

"Good thing he isn't," Nami muttered.

"He'll have to find out eventually," Vivi reminded her. "Better sooner than later."

"I guess I'll have to talk to him about it," Nami decided.

"Hell no," Zoro interrupted. "You are _not _going to talk to that pervert cook alone."

"What? Why not?" Nami demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"_Because_..."

"Because he doesn't want his girlfriend alone with another guy," Vivi reasoned. "I never knew you were so protective, Zoro."

"S-shut up," Zoro snapped, turning red. "It's not because of that!"

"Yeah, yeah, suit yourself," Vivi waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, and it's not only your relationship we have to celebrate. Franky's going out with Robin-sensei."

"Ehhhhhhhhh?!" Nami and Zoro yelled at the same time.

Both of them tried to imagine the noisy, rather disrepectful mechanic paired with their calm and collected teacher.

It wasn't because of their ages, or their occupations. Nami had figured out quite a while ago that Franky worked at the school as a mechanic (Although how he befriended Luffy was beyond her), and Robin was a historian and teacher. That wasn't exactly strange. It was more because of their completely different personalities.

Nami thought about it for a while. It actually kind of started to make sense. Maybe their differences was what attracted him to each other – just like her and Zoro. She smiled at the cyan haired man. "That's great news," she said, really meaning it. "I'm so happy for you, Franky."

Franky rubbed his head, a little embarrassed, but grinned regardless. "Thanks. You too," he added, nodding at Zoro.

Nami turned to look at her partner, who was watching her with a distinct but still present expression of amusement.

"What's so funny?" she said, playfully punching his arm.

Of course, Zoro didn't even flinch at the contact. He grinned and replied, "Just watching you."

* * *

"N-no. This can't be...!" Sanji exclaimed, horror painted all over his expression and pale face even paler. "Am I hearing things? Or did my beautiful goddess just tell me that she is... _dating..._ that shitty moss-haired idiot?"

"You heard right, Sanji-kun," Nami confirmed for him. "Me and Zoro are _dating._ So it's time for you to stop flirting with me. I know it's hard for you, but you'll have to get over it."

"N-nami-swan... w-why?" Sanji sank onto his knees, sobbing forlornly into a handkerchief.

"I'm sorry," Nami said. "You're a great guy, Sanji, you really are. You have many qualities Zoro doesn't have. But you're just not the right one for me. I hope you understand that."

Sanji was silent for a while, but then, to her relief, he spoke. "Of course I do, Nami-san. I don't want you to suffer because of me... even if you love marimo head. " He bowed his head in shame, as if he'd finally realised the effects his actions had caused. "I knew from the very beginning that you two... had a thing for each other... It's just that you're so beautiful. And not just on the outide, but on the inside too. I wouldn't blame Zoro for falling in love with you."

Sanji laughed harshly. "Wow... I actually called him by his name..."

"So... you're okay with it?" Nami looked up at him hopefully.

After a moment's hesitation, the cook nodded.

"Thank you so much Sanji-kun! You're so understanding!"

Of course, that sent him straight back to heart-eye mode, and he twirled around blissfully as if the conversation never happened. "I am absolutely delighted I could make Nami-swan so happy!"

Nami rolled her eyes. _Maybe I'll just go easy on him this time. Just this once._

"Yeah, whatever. But can I ask you for another favour?"

"I would be honoured," Sanji replied instantly. "What do you need?"

Sometimes the guy was so loyal she felt bad for taking advantage of it.

"Uh... well, Luffy's planning a party for me and Zoro. And... also Franky and Robin." Nami wasn't sure if he already knew about the other couple, but she figured he would know soon anyway. "He wants you to provide all the food. Can you do that?"

"F-F-Franky and Robin..? M-my precious Robin-chwan... is... is..._"_

After his unfinished exclaimation, he lost his balance and fainted.

_Next day..._

Nami took one last glance at herself in the mirror before making her way out of the bathroom and towards the pool. After Sanji had regained his conscience, Nami had spent heaps of effort convincing him to cook for the party. It wasn't until she told him he could pick the location of the party when he finally agreed – and according to him, for _her _ sake. Being Sanji, he had picked a typical Sanji-kind of party location – the pool.

Nami had gone shopping with Vivi earlier that morning to get suitable swimwear for the occasion. She had chosen a simple but classy red bikini top along with matching bottoms. Vivi'd gone with a lime green two piece which had a light wrap skirt tied around the waist. Both girls bought sunglasses and matching sandals.

"Hello, Nami-chan," a smooth and elegant voice interrupted her day dreaming. She turned to face the raven haired historian, who was wearing a dark purple bikini top and long, flowy skirt.

_Way to be sophisticated._ Nami always felt like a child compared to her. She had heard from Vivi that Franky had invited her to come along too.

"Hi, Robin," she answered cheerily. "Enjoying the warm weather?"

"Indeed," Robin agreed, glancing up at the sun through her dark shades. "It certainly makes a fine day to go swimming."

"Perfect timing, huh?" Nami laughed, cringing at her over-enthusiasm. It just felt _weird _chatting to your teacher at a pool party.

Robin gave her usual dark, mysterious smile, as if she knew exactly what was going on inside Nami's head. "I heard that you are in a relationship with Zoro-san. How are you two going?"

"Uh... good. I mean, great. Everything's going great," Nami amended, feeling ridiculous. "And you?"

"Franky-san is an incredibly sweet and kind-hearted man. I feel as though nothing could ever be more perfect."

"...Wow. That's great," Nami said, a little surprised by Robin's affection for Franky.

"Thank you, Nami-chan." Robin replied. "Now if you excuse me, I must get going now. I really only intended for this to be a short greeting."

"Oh, of course," Nami said hastily. "Sorry to keep you."

"It's fine," Robin responded calmly. "Lovely talking to you."

And with that, she was gone.

"...gee." Nami grumbled under her breath. It wasn't that she didn't like Robin; she did. But sometimes that woman was just so annoyingly cryptic!

"Only great?" A diffrent voice came from behind her. This voice was deep and masculine. "I think we're a little better than _great."_

Nami felt her heart speed up just that little bit more whenever Zoro was around. It sped up even more when she saw him wearing nothing but a pair a board shorts, revealing his tanned, muscular chest and toned abs. Since when did he look so...attractive?

Nami unconsciously smoothed her hands over her bikini. Zoro watched her, expression growing heated as his eyes followed the movement. But if she looked good, he didn't say anything. Nami decided to brush it off for now. At least, she tried to.

"Were you eavesdropping on us?" she accused, wagging a finger at him disapprovingly.

"No... I just happened to walk by and hear some of the things you said. That's not eavesdropping."

Nami scoffed.

"Look, I'm not trying to pick a fight, okay? What's with you today?" Zoro studied her, examining her slightly irritated facial expression. "Your mood's kinda off."

"Nothing. I'm just pissed." The words flew out of her mouth before she even realised it. "And I'm not telling you why."

Zoro raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you pissed at _me_?"

Nami didn't say anything.

"What did I do?" Zoro demanded.

"Nothing," Nami said again. "Eek!" she squeaked when Zoro abruptly pinned her to the wall, looking over her with a dark and dangerous expression that sent chills up her spine.

"Tell me," he hissed. "What did I do to piss you off?"

Nami glared at him, losing her temper. "Don't you know how to compliment a girl?"

She didn't care what he thought right now. She just wanted to get the message into that thick skull of his!

"...What?" Zoro squinted at her, confused.

"You never show _any_ appreciation when someone dresses up to look good for you," Nami continued bitterly.

"But... you _always _dress up," Zoro, still clueless, pointed out.

"That's not the point!" Nami snapped. "Just say it, for once!"

"Say what?"

"Urgh... you're such a jerk!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Just answer this question: _How do I look?_" Nami huffed and looked away, her cheeks flushed.

Realisation seemed to dawn to him and Zoro mumbled, "...O_h. _Geez woman, if you wanted a compliment then just say so."

Nami narrowed her eyes at him. _That's what I've been trying to say!_

"...Fine! You look beautiful. Happy now?" Now it was Zoro's turn to look away. She couldn't help but notice how the back of his ears were suspiciously red, and stifled a giggle.

"Aw, thanks Zoro," she cooed, anger already dissipated. "You look incredible too."

Her bold statement caused Zoro to blush. "T-Thanks...?"

Nami smiled. _He's so cute when he blushes._

* * *

**So there, you have it. Chapter eight. We've gone a long way, haven't we? Anyway, I'll just go through some notes on this chapter. I think I'm kinda making Vivi a more gossipy person than she actually is. She has a quiet and responsible personality, but I haven't exactly described her that way. Oh, well. Can't exactly change it now. o.O I know it's unusual for Sanji to forgive Zoro that easily, but... he can't really keep a grudge forever right? Let's just say he was feeling nice and understanding. :P Please, please, _please_ leave a review? I really need lots of encouragement right now. xD**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer - I do not own any parts of One Piece, but I do love all of it :3**

**Urrggghhhh... it's been so long since my last update. My sincerest apologies. I won't bother giving you any lame ass excuses for not updating, cause you probably won't want to hear it. So... we're still at about 2000 words every chapter. Not a particularly long length, but hey, it's better than nothing right? :)**

* * *

Chapter Nine - Special

"Zoro! Nami! Come and join us!" the young raven haired boy shouted, waving his arms excitedly. "We're playing a game~"

"I'll pass," Nami responded automatically. "No way am I gonna join you in your childishness."

"Awww~ Come on, Nami!" Luffy whined. "It won't be fun if you don't play!"

"_No_," she said firmly.

"...Will you play if I offer you this?" Robin spoke suddenly. She held up a bundle of cash, causing Nami's eyes to turn into gleaming belli signs.

"Of _course_ I'll play!" the orange haired girl exclaimed, her voice filled with renewed determination. She jumped up and snatched the money rather rudely from Robin's hands. "As long as there's money involved, I'm in!"

Zoro rolled his eyes.

"You gonna play, Zoro?" Luffy asked eagerly.

"No thanks. I'll take a nap."

"What? Why?" Luffy cried. "Noooooo! You have to play!"

Part of Zoro felt bad that he was turning down Luffy's request so quickly, but he refused to change his decision. "No, I don't," he said.

"Yes, you do_,_" Luffy suddenly changed his demenour, adding, "_Captain's order."_

"Well, I guess you're in," Usopp remarked. "You can't disobey a captain's order."

"Tsk." Zoro scoffed. "Whatever. It's just a game."

"Yay!" Luffy cheered, clapping his hands together in glee. "It worked~"

"Right, so everyone's playing. Here's how this is gonna work," Usopp began. "It's very simple. We 're all going to take turns in drawing a card," he held up a small deck of rectangular cards, "from this pile, and read out what it says. Then you do whatever the card says on it. Got that?" Usopp glanced around at the group.

"Sounds lame," Zoro said, yawning.

"Hey!" Usopp looked offended. "Anyway. I'll go first, considering I invented this game."

Luffy was too busy gazing at the cards to pay any attention.

"What does it say?" Vivi asked curiously.

"'Swap seats with the person sitting two seats to your left.'"

Everyone turned their heads to poor Chopper, who happened to be in the said position.

"W-what! Me?" he squeaked.

"Yes, you!"

After Usopp and Chopper traded seats, Sanji proudly announced, "My turn!"

His visible eye turned into a huge heart. "I hope thta I get to swap seats with either my beautiful Nami-swan, Vivi-chwan or Robin-chwan~"

"Shut up already, ero cook," Zoro snapped, annoyed.

"You got a problem, shitty marimo?" Sanji snarled.

"Both of you shut up," Nami ordered, giving them each a 'look'.

The two men glared at each other once more before settling back down in their spots.

* * *

_Nami's turn._

"'Sit on the lap of the person sitting to your left.'"

"What the heck..." she muttered.

Zoro was on her left.

Nami felt the heat rising in her cheeks, and she coughed awkwardly. "Do I really have to do this?" she asked.

"_Yes~_" Vivi chorused, obviously wanting to see what was going to happen next.

"Are you embarrassed?" Zoro smirked, causing her to blush further.

"N-no! Why would I be?"

Determined not to back down from the challenge, Nami stood up and repositioned herself in Zoro's lap. She felt awkward and self-conscious but at the same time... _Man, sitting in his lap feels so good. _

She felt his hand instinctively close around her waist, and she leaned into him, letting his chin fall on top of her head.

"I swear, you two make the perfect couple!" Vivi squealed.

At the same time, both the marimo and the mikan head looked at eachother, and blushed.

* * *

_Zoro's turn. _

"'Tell your friends about your first crush.'"

Zoro glared at the card, as if challenging it with a fight.

"How stupid," he mumbled.

"Did you like anyone else other than me?" Nami shifted a bit so that she could look at him in the eye. She shouldn't be surprised if he said yes... but, secretly, she hoped that he would say no. The thought of Zoro liking some other chick besides her made her feel sick.

"Not really."

"_Not really? _So there _was _someone before me?" Nami tried to keep the hurt out of her voice, but she failed. Badly. So much for being a liar.

"Well..." Zoro hesitated. He glanced at Vivi uneasily. "You're not gonna want to hear this."

She turned towards everyone else, who had suddenly gone strangely quiet. Clearly they all knew who Zoro's 'first crush' was. And that Nami wasn't going to like the mention of her.

"Well, Zoro?" she snapped. "Want to tell me about this girlfriend of yours?"

"She wasn't my girlfriend!" Zoro protested. "Okay, she kind of was. But not anymore."

"_Who was it?_" Nami seethed.

"Hey, wasn't it Tashigi?" Luffy said out of nowhere.

"LUFFY!" The others shouted at him.

"What did I do?" he asked, oblivious as ever.

"Tashigi?" Nami frowned, confused. "But... you... that first day..." she trailed off, not really sure how to end her sentence.

Zoro sighed. "Since Luffy spilled that stupid piece of information out, I might as well be honest with you. Come on," he said, releasing her so that she could climb out of his lap.

Nami was still pissed but she got up and dusted herself off, turning to Zoro with an expectant look on her face. "Soooo... Are you gonna tell me or not?"

"Not here," he answered, grabbing her arm and leading her away from the group. "You guys wait there. I'll deal with this alone," he called over his shoulder.

When they were well out of ear-shot from the rest of their friends, Zoro carried on with his explanation. "I told you that she looked exactly like my childhood friend, right?"

"Riiight..." Nami said, still not understanding how 'replica of childhood friend' changed into 'girlfriend'.

"Yeah, well, that was after she cut her hair. She didn't look so much like Kuina with long hair because Kuina always kept her hair short."

"And how does that relate to anything?" Nami narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"It doesn't. Just giving you some background information," Zoro said, causing Nami to roll her eyes. "We kinda became friends because of our common interest in swords. That lead to us going out..." he winced as Nami's eyes hardened. "But not before long she started changing. She kept on going on about how she was going to beat me; she wanted us to fight, but I didn't want to, so we argued and broke up. And to make to even freakier, she had her hair styled in the way Kuina had, as if she was taunting me or something. Now she's just a bitch and a total pain in the ass."

Zoro finished and took a deep breath, waiting for her reaction. So it wasn't the best explanation he could come up with, but at least it was understandable. And he wasn't expecting Nami to completely forgive him. He just wanted her to give him a chance.

Finally, Nami spoke. "Did you actually have feelings for her?" she murmured softly.

"I doubt it. It was just a spark," Zoro gazed into her chocolate orbs, willing her to understand. To accept what he had done. "It's over now. I only have feelings for you, and you only." He took her face into his big palms, and stroked his thumbs over her cheeks. "Please, Nami. Believe me on that part."

"Did you do the same things with her like you do with me?"

Zoro groaned. He didn't want to talk about it. "A _little, _okay."

"Did you... sleep with her?"

"No, I didn't. Geez, Nami. Am I that much of a... you know?"

He didn't want to say it.

"Yes."

Zoro playfully pinched her cheeks. "I dare you to say that again."

Nami giggled. _Finally._

"So... is everything good now?" Zoro asked, hesitantly.

Nami paused. "Yeah." It wasn't like she could stay mad at him for long, anyway. Especially when he put on that adorable pleading voice. But some part of her still felt like there was something he wasn't telling her. Ignoring the feeling, Nami bit back her insecurities and smiled. "I trust you."

Zoro smiled back and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. "Let's go back now," he said. "The others are waiting."

* * *

"Did you guys get things sorted out?" Vivi whispered to Nami, an anxious expression on her face.

"Yeah," Nami replied, not really paying much attention.

"He told you everything?" Vivi gasped.

"Yeah."

"And you accept it?"

"...I guess so," Nami looked down at her feet.

"Oh. Well... Wow. That's pretty amazing," Vivi said. "You must be a really tolerant person."

_You really think so, huh, _Nami thought, shaking her head. "Not really."

"Heeeyyy~ Can we keep playing the game?" Luffy whined. "It was my turn!"

Without waiting for anyone to answer, he grabbed a card from the top of the pile.

"Hmmm..." Luffy stared at the card intently. "It says, 'Confess to the person you currently have a crush on.'"

_What is with all these dares? _Nami mentally wondered, suspiciously eyeing Usopp, who was absently staring off into space at the moment.

"...What's a crush?" Luffy asked.

Everyone facepalmed.

"Who doesn't know that?!"

"A crush is someone you romantically like," Robin gave another one of her vague definitions. Most of her explanations were true, except it was so crypt you couldn't tell what she was saying. Nami had to admit this time she said it pretty clearly. She looked at Luffy, who was blinking innocently. Surely the moron got it now?

"So... That means that I have a crush on all of you?" Luffy tilted his head to the side in a similiar fashion to an owl. Except he wasn't wise.

"_Romantic, _Luffy!" Nami yelled at him, bonking him on the head (hard). "Don't you know what 'romantic' means?"

"No," he answered nonchalently. "What does it mean?"

"'Romantic' means being kind to ladies," Sanji decided to offer a definition of his own.

Nami sighed in exasperation while Robin and Vivi giggled.

"If you have a crush on someone, it means you like them... differently," Nami said. She couldn't believe she was actually explaining this, but if she got Luffy to understand, maybe she could find out if he liked Vivi?

Nami grinned wickedly to herself. "Usually you like someone of the opposite gender."

She frowned as she said this. She honestly didn't get why people would be attracted to their own sex. It was just... wrong. Not to mention kind of weird.

"How do you know if you have a crush on someone?" Luffy asked.

"Uh... well..." Nami tried to imagine the sort of feelings she had for Zoro. "Sometimes you feel shy around them... and you get these... fluttery feelings whenever they talk to you... or look at you. Maybe you blush, or have the urge to touch them... things like that." She flushed as she caught Zoro smirking at her again.

"Oh." Luffy brightened suddenly. "I think I know who I have a crush on!"

"Who?" Nami raised an eyebrow. The rest of the group watched their captain curiously.

"It has to be a girl, right?" Luffy grinned. Everyone stared at him as he walked over to a certain blue haired girl, who was blushing furiously.

"Umm... Luffy?" Vivi said nervously.

"I like you, Vivi!" Luffy exclaimed, beaming at her cheerfully.

Nami could have sworn she had never seen anyone's face go so pink before.

"Say something!" she hissed, nudging Vivi.

"O-Oh... um... I... I..." Vivi gazed at the floor, fiddling with her bikini. "I... I like you too," she admitted in a soft whisper.

"YES!" Nami squealed, jumping into Zoro's arms and giving him a bone crushing hug.

"N-Nami..." Zoro gasped in a strangled voice. "You're... choking me..."

_Oops. _"Sorry~" Nami apologised, letting him go.

Zoro rubbed his sore neck tiredly.

Everyone except for Sanji (who was on the floor wailing) smiled at the newfound couple. They looked so cute together, really.

"No! Why...? Vivi-chwan..." Sanji was sobbing. "Nami-swan... Robin-chwan... why did you all leave me?"

"You'll get over it," Franky said reassuringly, not at all bothered by the fact that his girlfriend was one of the women Sanji was mourning over.

"You two should hug!" Nami gave one of her devilish grins. "Come on~ Don't be shy!"

"I-Isn't that taking it a bit too far?" Vivi muttered.

"No way~ Of course it's not!" Nami pouted. "Just do it already!"

Before Vivi could protest, Luffy's arms had already gone around her waist. He pressed her against him, laughing that strange laugh of his while Vivi blushed.

"L-Luffy!" Vivi pushed him off her.

"What?" Luffy gazed at her, blinking innocently.

"...Nothing," Vivi smiled.

"Now that _they _have hugged... why don't _you _two show some public affection too?" Robin suggested, winking at Nami.

"Ehhh?" she desperately tried to come up with a reason why _not, _but came up with nothing. She also wondered why she was still embarrassed to touch him in public. After all, she'd practically leaped at him moments ago, hadn't she?

"Nami, look at me," she heard Zoro's deep voice say from behind her.

Just as she turned around, his strong, muscular arms circled around her and pulled her into his chest, causing Nami to fall against him. She didn't bother to try and soften her fall; she knew that he would make sure she didn't get hurt.

"Zoro," she whispered. Suddenly everything else around them melted away, until it was just her, and him. She tried not to think about the fact and they were still being watched as Zoro's lips pressed onto her own.

* * *

**Don't you just love a sweet Zoro~ I know it's weird how he and Tashigi used to be together, but I wanted to twist up the plot a little and I couldn't think of anyone else. I'm sorry to any Tashigi fans out there. I don't hate her that much either; I just wanted some rivalry happening between her and Nami. :P And we're finally got some LuVi, too! Anyway, that was the last part of the pool party scene. Next we will finally get to the climax of the story! ^^**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer - Nopeee, don't own One Piece :3**

**Note to self: I write to EXPRESS, not to IMPRESS. Geez, get that right already. o.O**

* * *

Chapter Ten - Discovered

"Can't we take a break now?"

Zoro leaned back and yawned. They were studying in Nami's room, huddled over her desk and a gigantic pile of stupid textbooks. Or, rather, _she _was studying and he was just watching her study. It hadn't even been an hour yet and he was bored already.

"How can you even _get _this crap?" Zoro complained.

Nami glanced at him for a brief second before returning back to the passage she was reading for history. "All you have to do is _concentrate,"_ she said, "which is something you totally lack."

"Excuse me?"

Zoro did _not _have bad concentration. Schoolwork was the only thing he found hard to focus on. And maybe a few other things he'd prefer not to name.

"I'm serious," Nami said, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes and looking at him. "As long as you really dig your heels in this stuff, no matter how boring or stressful it is, you'll be able to do it."

"I _do _try," Zoro protested.

"Oh, really? What did you get on your last science report?"

"Uhh... I didn't hand it in?"

"Exactly. That proves that you don't even try." Nami glared at him, crossing her arms. "_I _handed it in, and, of course, I got an A plus." She stated this proudly.

Zoro rolled his eyes. "That's cause you're _smart. _Not everyone's a genius like you."

Ignoring the compliment, Nami continued her lecture. "Zoro, I'm trying to help you. But I can't help if you don't cooperate with me."

Before Zoro could speak, Nami cut him off again. "Exams are coming up soon, and when we apply for college, they're gonna look at these results."

"I'm not even going to college," Zoro grumbled.

"Well, I am. Do you really want us to be separated so soon?"

"...No."

"I'm getting into a decent college, okay. And you _have _to come with me."

Zoro stayed silent.

"Please, Zoro. Promise me you'll try." Nami looked up at him with her puppy dog eyes. Zoro remembered her giving him that look back when they first met.

How could he refuse that look?

"...Alright," he agreed softly. "I'll try."

Nami's face softened. "You promise?"

"I promise," Zoro said. "As long as you stop looking at me like that."

Now the smile on her face turned into a grin. "Oh, come on. I know you love that face." She stuck her tongue out cheekily.

Zoro snorted. "You wish."

They were silent for a while. "So... uh... before we start studying again... can we take a break?" Zoro asked. "I'm kinda hungry."

"Fine," Nami nodded reluctantly. "But just a short one."

She stood up and walked over to her mini fridge. "Anything you want?"

"I don't get why we can't keep beer in our rooms," Zoro muttered under his breath.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" Nami raised her eyebrows at him.

"No. I'll just have a Sprite."

Zoro watched as Nami rummaged around the fridge and brought out two cans of Sprite. She tossed a can to him, and he caught it in amusement. "Do you always throw drinks to your guests like that?"

Nami rolled her eyes and opened her can. "Shut up."

Zoro laughed.

"Hey, Nami." He said suddenly. "When's your birthday?"

He couldn't believe he never asked her before. But then again, he never really cared about birthdays anyway. Not until now.

"July the 3rd, why?"

"July the 3rd?" Zoro glanced around the room for a calender. "Isn't that... a few days from now?"

(A/N: I know the timing's kinda weird. Please try to ignore that.)

Nami smiled. "Yeah."

"Seriously? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Do I honestly need to tell you?"

_Damn, _Zoro thought. He didn't care about birthdays, usually. But how can he not care about his girlfriend's? _I guess I'd better think of something real quick, or else._

Looks like it was time to talk to Vivi.

* * *

"Geez, Zoro." Vivi folded her arms and shot him a glare. "You only _just _found out that it's Nami's birthday this week?"

She spun around on one of those spinning chairs for a bit and gave out a sigh. "It's practically half way through the year. What have you guys been doing?"

Now it was Zoro's turn to glare. "Are you gonna help me or not?"

"Okay, okay," Vivi raised her hands in defence. "Sorry."

"Well..." She thought for a moment and chewed on her lip. "You should definitely take her out for dinner or something on her birthday. Because believe it or not, you guys haven't even been on an actual date yet, have you?" Vivi quirked an eyebrow. "Unless there's something Nami isn't telling me about...?"

"No... You're right," Zoro confirmed, "we haven't been on a date yet."

Vivi rolled her eyes. "You are _so _behind."

"Whatever." Zoro shifted impatiently. "So what should I do?"

"Really, Zoro? Can't you figure that out yourself?"

"Shut up and tell me already."

Vivi cocked her head to the side in amusement. "How am I supposed to tell you if you just told me to shut up?"

"You know what I mean."

Vivi rolled her eyes again, but she relented. "Alright. Here's what you should do..."

* * *

"What are you planning?" Nami studied him suspiciously. "I know you're up to something. Tell me what it is."

_Damn. I really have to practise my poker face._

"I'm not planning anything," Zoro replied in a breezy tone of voice.

Nami narrowed her eyes. He could tell she didn't believe him.

"Got the hots for another girl already?"

Zoro jolted in surprise. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

But he already knew what she was talking about. She thought that he had ditched her for another girl – which was _not _going to happen. Seriously, what was with women and their... trust issues? He thought Nami had already accepted his relationship with Tashigi. Or, at least, _ex_-relationship. He didn't get how that affected his connection with Nami now. True, Tashigi _had _been his girlfriend (ish), but it all happened in the past. That part of his life was over. It wasn't like he was suddenly gonna hook up with her again or anything. Right?

Zoro looked up to see that Nami was still glaring at him.

"Nami," he said softly, reaching for her hand. She tried to pull away at first, but he held on tight and didn't let go, so she gave in and let him hold her hand in his calloused palms.

"You told me the other day that you trusted me," Zoro gazed deep into her chocolate orbs. "Do you trust me?"

Nami didn't reply for a long time. "I _want _to trust you," she whispered.

"Well, let me confirm some things for you," Zoro said firmly. "One, my relationship with Tashigi is over. Two, I have no interest in any other girls but you; and three..."

The world around them seemed to stop for a moment, just so he could say these words.

"...Nami, I love you."

It was true. He _did _love her.

_But what if she doesn't love me back?_

_Then I'll just have to deal with it._

Zoro held his breath, and watched her anxiously. Nami seemed to be in some sort of trance. Was that a good or bad thing?

Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, she reached out and circled her arms around his neck, pressing her ample breasts against his chest in the process.

Zoro let out a small moan at the sensation of her slender but curvy body rubbing deliciously up against his. One hand tangled itself in her hair while the other wrapped around her waist, drawing her even closer to him. He easily forgot about the fact that it wasn't the time to having a make out session now; and that they were still in the _hallway_.

Somehow they ended up in a really awkward position on the floor, but neither of them noticed, and even if they did, they didn't care. Nami whimpered when Zoro let go of her waist, but she didn't protest when his hand instead trailed up her neck to her chin. Tilting her face towards his, Zoro smashed their lips together in a kiss. The heat and intensity between them was building rapidly and it wasn't going to stop. Without breaking the kiss, Zoro's hand wandered over to the strap of the tight tank top she was wearing and wavered there. After Nami made no move to stop him, he started shrugging the strap off her shoulder. It _needed _to come off her shoulder. The urge to strip her clothes off and do it right there was overwhelming.

Zoro was about to undo the other strap when someone cleared his throat behind them.

Both of them froze for a moment. Zoro, with quicker reflexes, moved in front of Nami to block her body from view and turned to face their intruder.

It was none other than their assistant principal Crocodile.

"Come to my office after dinner," he commanded, his eyes cold. Then he turned on his heels and disappeared down the hallway.

Zoro turned back to Nami, whose hair was dishevelled and cheeks flushed. Her perfect pink lips were swollen and her clothes were crumpled, but otherwise she was fine. She had already tugged up the strap of her top and smoothed over her clothes, but it didn't take rocket science to figure out what she had been doing with him.

"Are you okay?" Zoro whispered, stroking his hand over the small of her back.

Nami shuddered, but nodded. "I hate Crocodile," she said, grimacing.

"Who doesn't?" Zoro grasped her hand in his. "Come on, let's go to dinner. We'll deal with Crocodile later."

* * *

"The school does not prohibit _dating_," Crocodile was saying, emphasising on 'dating' like it was a bad word or something, "but… _groping_ each other in the hallway is unacceptable. I'm sure you didn't mean to break the rules, but regardless, you will have to accept your punishment."

Zoro and Nami groaned simultaneously.

"I have decided that you will both commence a three day suspension, starting tomorrow," Crocodile announced, rather matter-of-factly.

_What? _Zoro's jaw dropped. _Suspension? _It wasn't like they'd committed a crime or anything! How could something so minor earn them a suspension?

He glanced at Nami, who looked a whole lot more horrified at the news than he was. Her face had a mixture of shock and dismay written all over it. He could imagine why. Nami, hardworking, organised, straight As and teacher's pet Nami, had just been told that she was going on _suspension._

Zoro edged closer to her and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, but she didn't seem to notice. He sighed; couldn't Crocodile go easy on her just this once?

"In these three days, you will not be allowed to leave your rooms. I will have Vivi and Luffy bring your meals to you," he added before Nami could protest. "You will still have access to the internet, so check online for homework from any of your classes. But you are, and I repeat, _not _allowed to leave your room. At all. Are we clear?"

"How do you think you can stop us?" Zoro retorted rudely, causing Nami to elbow him in the ribs and attempt to shut him up.

Crocodile didn't seem angry, in fact, if anything, he looked distinctly amused. "Roronoa Zoro," he sighed and sat back in his chair, as if bored. "You've been to this school for years now. I think at this point you should know that there are millions of security cameras around the campus."

Zoro clenched his teeth, knowing that Crocodile was right but still wanting to prove him wrong. Like hell he was gonna listen to an arrogant bastard like him.

"Crocodile…" Nami began tentatively. "Can you make us an exception?"

"Oh?" Crocodile raised an eyebrow. "And do you have any particular reason for that?"

"It's my birthday in three days. I really don't want to spend my birthday on suspension," she said, putting on her most pitiful expression. If that expression was directed at him, it would have worked. But apparently that wasn't the case with Crocodile.

"I'm afraid that's not possible," he answered gravely. "The punishment has been decided, and it's not going to be altered."

* * *

"This sucks," Nami grumbled as they walked aimlessly around the school, still brooding over their three day 'suspension'.

"Stop saying that," Zoro kicked at an empty coke bottle on the floor.

"It's all your fault," she snapped, whirling around to face him.

"You know how sexy you look when you're angry?" Zoro replied absent-mindedly, not even realising what he said until Nami suddenly stopped walking, the angry expression on her face turning into a blush.

"Shut up moron," she muttered, looking away from him.

Zoro just grinned. He didn't care if he looked like an idiot; he just wanted to get rid of the freaking tension that hung amidst them.

The grin faded when he remembered that the suspension went into his surprise plan for Nami's birthday. Zoro cursed under his breath. Vivi would kill him if he backed down on the 'plan'. Suspension or not, he was not going to give up on it. Even if it meant sneaking out of their rooms at night, he was determined to show Vivi that he was _not _a wimp.

* * *

**Naughty, naughty, Zoro and Nami! (snickers) And that's what you get as your punishment ;) Whew, almost the end of the story! Then I can finally start on something new. I have some ideas on what to write already. I hope this story isn't getting boring. I mean, it probably is, but at least it's still readable right? Thank you for all the reviews; they're the only reason I can keep on going :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer – One Piece and its characters belong to the talented Oda.**

**Yaaayy! I actually managed to update in time! I'm so proud of myself :D This chapter should be a bit more decent than the last one ;P Their IM conversation is written in italic, by the way. Hopefully it won't be too confusing. Enjoy reading!**

**P.S. There is quite a great deal of swearing in this chapter... just warning you now.**

* * *

Chapter Eleven – Betrayal

Beep. A box popped up on her screen and said 'You have a new message'. Nami sighed and exited the article she was reading on drug use for English. It was another IM from Zoro. Since their suspension, not only had they been forced to stay in their rooms, but their phones were confiscated too, so they relied on IMing to stay in touch.

_Z: hey, babe. how're u doing?_

_N: horrible, thanks. i was just reading a stupid article on drug use._

_Z: ha, ha. i hope u enjoyed that._

_N: thanks a lot. u made me feel so much better._

_Z: sorry. _

_N: u should be._

_Z: hey, don't go all pissy at me now._

_N: i hate this suspension._

_Z: bullshit._

_N: excuse me?_

_Z: i just got an IM from vivi that's definitely NOT from vivi._

_N: what the hell is that supposed to mean?_

_Z: it says, 'fuck that orange haired slut who doesn't deserve u. i'll make sure u two split for sure, just u wait.'_

_N: ..._

_Z: look, don't get offended by that crap. none of it's true._

_N: ..._

_Z: nami?_

_N: yeah, yeah… i'm here. but… why would vivi say that?_

_Z: it can't be her… but it's written under her name._

Nami looked up from the screen when she heard the door swing open. Vivi came in and shut the door behind her before flopping down onto the bed next to Nami.

"Are you okay?" Vivi asked, looking concerned. "You look kinda freaked out."

"Read this," Nami passed her laptop to Vivi and gave her a minute to read through their conversation before interrupting, "Well?"

"Oh, shit." Vivi passed her back the laptop and jumped up, running her hands through her hair. "Shit, shit, shit."

"What's wrong?" Nami was more than a little freaked out now. Her best friend seemingly IMed her boyfriend and called her a slut in front of him, and now she was just repeating 'shit' over and over again. That did _so _not make sense. And no matter what, Nami still didn't believe that message was from Vivi. It couldn't have been. Not Vivi.

"Shit," Vivi said again. "I lost my phone! Someone must have picked it up."

Nami wasn't sure whether she should feel relieved or dismayed. At least she knew that it definitely wasn't Vivi who wrote that message. Her attention was brought back to Zoro as her laptop let out a beep.

_Z: hello? u still there?_

_N: sorry. vivi just came in._

_Z: did u tell her?_

_N: she said that she lost her phone._

_Z: shit._

_N: i know right._

Nami turned back to Vivi. "When did you lose it?"

"Umm…" Vivi frowned, twirling a strand of blue hair around her finger. "I think it was somewhere after lunch."

"That's not long ago…" Nami trailed off, not sure how to end her sentence.

_Z: if i ever find the person who sent that message, i'll slice him into pieces._

_N: how do u know it's a guy? what kind of guy would send u a hate message about me?_

_Z: one who's jealous and wants u for himself._

_N: why would he call me a slut then? i think it's a girl._

_Z: whatever. doesn't matter either way._

"Forget about that for the moment." Vivi sat back down on the bed and elbowed Nami in the ribs. "So has he asked you yet?"

"Asked me what?" Nami raised an eyebrow.

"Argh! I knew it. Give me the laptop."

_N: zoro, this is vivi. why haven't u asked her about it yet?_

"What? What's he supposed to ask me?" Nami was getting more and more confused (and irritated) by the second.

_Z: huh? _

_N: u know. THAT!_

_Z: ohhh. I kinda forgot._

_N: u forgot?! well, ur a wonderful boyfriend. hurry, ask her NOW!_

Vivi shoved the laptop back into Nami's hands. "Zoro's got something to tell you~" she sang.

_N: okay, zoro. what were u supposed to tell me?_

_Z: nami?_

_N: yeah, it's me. now spill!_

_Z: uh… do u wanna go out? on ur birthday?_

Nami blushed, but she felt an insanely happy feeling bubble up inside her stomach. _Zoro _was actually asking her out on a date!

She smiled as she typed a response.

_N: awww, zoro. i never thought i'd see the day._

_Z: shut up… so do u want to or not?_

_N: of course! i'd love to._

Nami considered adding a smiley face but she didn't want to sound like she was obsessed or something, so she decided against it. She glanced at Vivi and smiled wryly. "It was your idea, wasn't it?"

"Aw, man~ You guessed it. But it was obvious, right? You have a really dumb boyfriend."

Nami couldn't help it; she laughed. "You're right about that."

_Z: we're still under suspension, so we'll have to sneak out._

_N: what? really? do we have to?_

_Z: come on, nami. it'll be fine._

_N: what if we get caught?_

_Z: we won't._

_N: u sure about that?_

_Z: i'm sure. even if we do get caught, u can blame it all on me. say i forced u to go out, blah blah blah… but don't worry, that won't happen._

_N: i don't know…_

_Z: geez, just trust me. _

_N: what if i don't trust u?_

_Z: then trust vivi. she suggested all this, u know._

_N: ….._

_Z: nami, please. i finally sucked it up to ask u out and ur gonna reject me?_

_N: urgh, don't say it that way. okay, okay, i'll come. so what's the plan? u do have a plan, right?_

_Z: crap, someone's coming. i gtg, ask vivi about it!_

_N: what? hey, wait! no! zoroooooo! u can't leave me hanging like this!_

Too late. Zoro's name popped off her screen barely a second after she finished typing.

Nami sighed in exasperation and turned to Vivi. "Okay, so how is this gonna work?"

"It's like this." Vivi grinned. "In two days time, you guys are gonna creep out of your rooms and meet at the tree at exactly seven pm on the dot. Me and Luffy are going with you, just in case any teachers happen to be around and we can cover for you. Then Zoro's gonna drive you to a restaurant – I won't say which one – and you have your lovely, romantic dinner date…" Vivi grinned wider as Nami scowled at her.

"Zoro gives you your birthday present, you'll love it and kiss him passionately… you have a little make-out session…" she ducked as Nami tried to whack her on the head, "then at around nine thirty to ten you'll drive back, say goodbye, sneak back to your rooms and go to sleep, dreaming of eachother... Does that sound good?"

"Yeah, it sounds just _fine_…." Nami dragged the last word deliberately long and rolled her eyes as Vivi cracked up laughing. Before she knew it, both of them were rolling on the floor in fits of laughter.

* * *

"No, not that one. It's too frilly."

"Not that one either. The colour doesn't suit you."

"Too many bows."

"Not sexy enough."

"Geez! And I thought I was picky," Nami threw down the millionth dress she had tried on and picked up another one.

Vivi woke her up that morning and insisted that they had to go and find an appropriate dress for her to wear on her date later that evening. Somehow she had managed to convince Crocodile to let them take a trip to the city, as long as she promised to keep an eye on Nami and arrive back at the school by two o' clock. Vivi was _really _good at persuading teachers. Nami could bet that she could get away with spraying graffiti all over the library if she wanted to.

"Yes!" Vivi exclaimed suddenly, snapping Nami out of her thoughts. "This is the one!"

Nami looked at herself in the mirror and had to admit Vivi might be right. She was wearing a simple but elegant black chiffon gown that had a beaded neckline and gathered top. The silky fabric flowed over her curves and swished around her ankles as she walked.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Vivi squealed. "This is perfect! Zoro will totally swoon!"

"You don't think it's too plain?" Nami asked, spinning a couple of times in front of the mirror.

"Of course not!" Vivi waved her concern away dismissively. "It looks fabulous, trust me. It's like this dress was made for you."

She inspected Nami thoughtfully. "We need to get you matching shoes and some jewellery," she decided. "We should also do up your hair in a loose bun."

Nami groaned. "You're more enthusiastic about this than I am."

"Nami! What's wrong with you?" Vivi demanded. "You're about to go on a _date_! On your birthday! With Zoro! Will you cheer up and appreciate this?"

"Sorry, sorry," Nami surrendered. "I just… have a bad feeling."

"Stop worrying about things! Everything's going to be fine."

"Alright, I get it. Let's get this dress."

But she still couldn't shake off the gnawing feeling at the bottom of her stomach. Was it her imagination, or were they being watched?

* * *

"Done! What do you think?"

Nami opened her eyes to find herself staring back at her reflection. Her mouth dropped open in amazement. Vivi had just transformed her normal, everyday self into a princess. Her long orange hair was piled elegantly on top of her head, while several strands had been curled and hung loose, framing her face beautifully. Her lips were painted with strawberry lip gloss and her cheeks were dusted with a fine layer of blush. The look was completed with tiny pearl earrings and a silver necklace with a heart-shaped locket. She also wore the black gown they had picked out from one of the boutiques earlier that morning, paired with matching black heeled pumps.

"Vivi, you're a genius!" Nami whirled around and hugged her best friend, squeezing her tight.

Vivi smiled, pleased, but awkwardly wriggled out of her grasp. "Careful, don't smudge your make-up," she warned.

Nami grinned. "I'll try," she winked, indicating that it might come off during… a _certain _situation.

"Oh, wait, I almost forgot. Can you close your eyes again?"

Nami obliged, too happy to protest or question her motives. A few seconds later, she felt something… slightly wet… being sprinkled onto her face and hair.

"Okay, open your eyes now," Vivi instructed.

Nami opened her eyes, searching her reflection, looking for any differences. Then she realised. Vivi'd just sprinkled glitter all over her! Why it felt wet, she didn't know. Nami felt herself smiling all over again. She had never felt so good about herself before. Not like this.

"Thank you so much for doing this for me," she said sincerely.

"No worries," Vivi beamed. "That's what best friends are for, right?"

Nami blinked to keep tears of gratefulness from slipping down and ruining Vivi's hard work.

"Come on now, we'd better get going. You don't want to be late, do you?"

Nami glanced at herself in the mirror one last time before following Vivi out the room.

"Everything clear," Vivi reported as she slipped out into the hallway. "Follow me," she whispered. They managed to get down to the lobby without bumping into anyone. Now for the hard part – they had to cross the huge yard and basketball courts, past the library and cafeteria, and to the tree. It was risky because they were going to be in an open space. At least it was already quite dark and if they did happen to bump into anyone, they had a chance of slipping away without getting seen.

"Hang on a sec, let me check the route," Vivi said as they reached the yard.

"You planned a route?"

"Yep. Just so we don't get caught in any of the security cameras."

"Wow, I never knew you were so organised," Nami teased as Vivi tucked the map away and proceeded across the yard. The walk to the tree was achingly long and it felt like ages until they were finally close enough to glimpse the tree in the distance. Nami felt a wave of relief run through her. They were going to make it!

However, the relief was short-lasting as both girls heard the sound of someone stepping on a twig not very far from where they were. "Hurry! Go!" Vivi hissed, pushing Nami forwards. "I'll cover for us. Good luck and have fun!" She flashed her a smile before disappearing into the darkness.

Nami took a deep breath and hurried towards the tree as fast as she could. She was about ten metres from the tree when she made out Zoro's figure already there… wait a second, with someone else? She stopped abruptly. And it wasn't just any someone.

Nami glimpsed the short, dark blue hair and thick framed glasses. It was Tashigi.

What was Zoro doing with Tashigi?

She suddenly felt very silly, all dressed up in a gown and jewellery, sneaking out of her room just to find her boyfriend with another girl.

Her heart stopped beating as Tashigi moved closer to Zoro… and… kissed him.

Nami stood frozen, her throat dry, as she watched their lips lock together. Why was he just standing there? Why wasn't he pushing her away? She was starting to feel sick. How could Zoro do this to her? She thought of all the things they did, all the things he said to her. Was it all a lie?

Nami felt a tear unconsciously roll down her cheek and hurriedly rubbed it away, not caring that she had just ruined her make-up. No, she wasn't going to cry over some guy. Even if that guy was Zoro.

She was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't notice that they had broken the kiss, or that Zoro finally realised that she had been standing there the whole time, witnessing everything.

Their eyes met – her sorrowful ones and his a mixture of horror and desperation.

"Nami," Zoro whispered. He actually looked genuinely sorry…even angry, maybe? But at who? At Tashigi? At himself?

Nami shook her head and turned to leave.

"Wait! I can explain!" Zoro shouted after her, his voice pleading.

But she didn't wait.

She ran and didn't stop.

She'd had enough of this birthday surprise.

* * *

**So… any particular thoughts? It broke my heart to write this part and I considering omitting it, but it was my plan from the start and I decided to stick with it. Oh, and the part about someone stealing Vivi's phone will come in later too. I'm sure many of you would have guessed who the hacker is. ;) Gahh, describing Nami's outfit was so hard. -.- Fashion is not really my thing, especially those really fancy dresses and accessories, blah blah blah. I had to google black gowns to come up with something suitable. Anyway, that's all I have to say for now… please review? :3**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer – Me? No, I don't own One Piece. I'm just a crazed fangirl. :3**

**OMIGOSH, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! THIS. IS. THE. LAST. CHAPTER. Wow, I did it! I have to say, this is the longest story I've ever written in my whole life. ;) Well, there's still a bunch of inappropriate swear words in this chappy, but I'm sure you won't mind that. Oh, and Tashigi turns totally evil at this point. o.O I got a suggestion from one of my readers that I should make Vivi the bad character, but truth be told, I honestly don't want to. I like Vivi as the innocent, pure person she is. :D Sooo, enjoy guys! (and girls!)**

* * *

Chapter Twelve – Forever

Dammit. Why wasn't Nami here yet?

Zoro shifted uncomfortably in his tuxedo and pulled at his tie in irritation. _She's better appreciate this_, he thought. _I'm not gonna wear a stupid suit all for nothing!_

Suddenly there was a rustle from the bushes and a figure stepped out of the shadows and started walking towards him.

"Nami?" Zoro asked hopefully.

"Forget that wench," a female voice which was _definitely _not Nami instructed. "Let me be your date tonight."

In the moonlight, Zoro could make out the short, blue hair very much like Kuina's and those horrible thick glasses he saw nearly every day. That description could only fit one person.

"Tashigi," he growled. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to be your date," she purred in a sickly sweet voice. "Look, I even prepared for the occasion. Don't you like my dress?"

_How did she…? _Then everything clicked into place. Of course it was Tashigi who took Vivi's phone. She must've read through his conversation with Vivi and sent him that hate message about Nami. How could he have not seen it earlier?

Zoro eyed her revealing sunflower yellow dress and grimaced. She really did look like Kuina, and it bugged the hell out of him.

"Shut up and go away," he retorted. "If Nami sees us, I swear she'll…"

"Stop thinking about _Nami,_" Tashigi snapped.

Before he had a chance to reply, she advanced towards him and leaned in inappropriately close, her lips hovering inches from his. He made an attempt to back away, but it was too late - their lips locked together. For a second Zoro was frozen in numb shock. Tashigi. Was. Kissing. Him. What. The. Fuck?

He stood there limply while she moved her tongue into his mouth… until reality kicked in. He wasn't supposed to be kissing Tashigi. He wasn't supposed to kiss anyone but Nami.

_Nami. _Zoro shoved her away roughly and wiped his hand across his mouth in disgust before glimpsing a flash of vibrant orange in the distance.

_Oh, God, no…_

Just how much had she seen?

"Nami," Zoro choked out.

_Oh, no. No, no, no, no. Please, no._

As he saw her turn away, he desperately called out, "Nami! Wait! I can explain!"

His heart broke into a million pieces as the girl he ever loved looked at him with disdain and ran like she wanted to be anywhere but near him.

"Nami!"

But she didn't stop running.

Giving up, Zoro turned back to Tashigi and shot her a murderous glare.

"You little bitch," he snarled. "Look what you've done!"

"What did I do?" Tashigi asked innocently, which caused the the string inside him, stretched ever so tightly, to finally snap.

Overcome with rage, Zoro slapped her.

Not particularly hard, of course, but it was a slap nonetheless.

Zoro tried not to feel guilty as Tashigi started wailing like a little girl, clutching the side of her face like it had a hole had just been punched through it. He wished it had.

"Don't you ever come between me and my girlfriend again," he hissed before heading in the direction Nami had gone.

* * *

Why oh why did he have to be cursed with such horrible navigation skills?

Zoro swore as he found himself back at the tree. Tashigi had left, and now it was completely empty.

Or so he thought.

"Who's there?" he demanded as he heard footsteps approach him from behind.

"Zoro?" a familiar voice answered, sounding confused.

"Vivi?" Zoro questioned, recognition dawning on him.

"Yeah, it's me," Vivi confirmed. "I came to check on you. Where's Nami?"

Nami's name sent a wave of despair over him.

"She's gone," Zoro whispered in a strangled voice.

"Gone? What do you mean by _gone_?"

Zoro hurriedly explained the sequence of events that had just happened in the past thirty minutes.

"I should've seen it coming," Vivi groaned, shaking her head. "But right now we just need to find Nami and sort things out between you two."

"Where could she be?" Zoro hated that he sounded almost desperate, but there was nothing he could do about it. He had to talk to Nami. Without her in his life, Zoro was nothing.

15 minutes later…

"I think I just heard voices," Vivi whispered.

"I can hear it too." Zoro frowned and strained to hear what they were saying. One of the voices sounded vaguely familiar. It sounded like… "Nami," he breathed. "It's Nami." He automatically moved towards her voice, but Vivi held him back.

"Hang on, let's listen to what they're saying."

"I don't believe you," Nami was saying. It sounded pretty confident on the surface, but if you listened closely, you could tell she was holding back her true feelings.

Zoro's heart melted for her and he longed to be by her side. Only now did he realise what the phrase 'head over heels in love' meant.

"It's true! Zoro has been lying to you and cheating on you this whole time." He could now tell that the second voice was Tashigi's. It was full of hysteria as she went on maniacally. "He's constantly hooking up with other girls behind your back, and you never noticed! Zoro has _never _loved you!"

"I-I don't believe you," Nami's voice quivered.

"Then do you believe your own eyes? Tell me what you just saw!" Tashigi declared. "Zoro was just kissing me! It proves everything!"

"That's enough." Zoro emerged from his hiding spot abruptly, startling both girls in the process.

"Z-Zoro," Nami broke into tears.

"_You!" _Zoro jabbed a finger at Tashigi. "Leave us alone. Now!" he commanded in his most threatening tone. When she didn't move, he towered over her menacingly and grabbed her wrist. "Do you want to be slapped again?"

"N-N-No! I'm sorry! I'll go!" Tashigi squeaked as she wriggled out of his grasp and stumbled away.

Zoro glanced over to Vivi and she nodded in understanding. After she had also left, Zoro turned his attention to Nami.

Even though tears streaked her face and her make-up was smudged all over the place, Nami still looked amazingly beautiful. He didn't know how she had gotten that dress, but it looked stunning on her. What saddened him, though, was her eyes, which were usually so full of warmth and love. Now they were empty and full of fear, hurt and betrayal. And it was all because of him.

"Nami," Zoro said softly. "Come here." He opened up his arms and she fell into them, clinging to his chest and sobbing hysterically. He hugged her to his chest and stroked her hair repeatedly. "I almost thought I'd lost you," he murmured into her hair.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, wrapped in each other's embrace. When Nami finally calmed down, Zoro held her face in his hands and looked at her in the eyes.

"Why did you run away?"

"I… I thought… I thought you…" Nami looked away, but Zoro could tell she was ashamed.

"It's not your fault," Zoro coaxed soothingly, caressing her lips. "I know what it must've looked like. But I would never cheat on you like that. Tashigi kissed me first; I couldn't get her off me."

The last part wasn't really true, but what else could he say? 'Oh, I'm sorry; I was so shocked for a moment I couldn't move'?

"…I know," Nami said in a small voice. "I did trust you," she added. "I just…I just didn't know how to take it. It… really… shocked me."

"I understand," Zoro kept up the crooning, since it seemed to be working. "But let's get one thing clear from now on. I would never, _ever _kiss another girl willingly. You're the only one I will ever love. Forever. Always remember that."

Nami gave him a tiny smile. "I will. And… you're the only one I love, too."

"Forever?"

"Forever," she promised.

"So…" Zoro hesitated. "We're good, right?"

Nami nodded and pulled his head down for a kiss.

Zoro tangled his hands in her long tresses, which had fallen out of its bun, and pulled her close to his chest. Their lips met in sync. It was so much better than the forced kiss he had with Tashigi. It felt more meaningful. More magical. And this time it was definitely with the right person.

Then he remembered something. "Hey, Nami?"

"Yeah?"

Releasing her just for a moment, Zoro dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out two matching rings. He slid one onto her finger and the other onto his own.

"Happy birthday."

* * *

**Awww, I love a romantic Zoro. It completely contradicts with his personality, but it's so adorable anyway. And I know that getting a ring for Nami's birthday is kinda OOC for him, but admit it – you all loved that part. ;P I said before that this was going to be the last chapter, but there's actually going to be a epilogue after this. Maybe a separate sequel after that. xD So the main part of the story is officially complete, but there are still gonna be bonus thingies later on… so keep an eye out for them. The epilogue should be up within a week. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing! I love you! xoxo**


	13. Epilogue

**I'm still alive… So sorry about the late update. I know I said it was going to be up within a week, but I got… uh, kinda distracted. But don't worry, I still love you! :3 Oh hey Nami, can you do the disclaimers for me?**

**Nami: I honestly don't get why I have to do this… I mean, isn't it obvious cookiedough.x3 doesn't own One Piece? She can hardly write a decent story!**

**Me: Hey, no need to be mean.**

**Nami: Sorry. Just stating the truth. By the way, why is there hardly any interaction between me and Zoro in this chapter?**

**Zoro: That's true. I wanted another kiss.**

**Nami: H-Huh? Zoro? Where did you come from?**

**Zoro: That's for me to know and you to find out. *smirks ***

**Nami: -_-**

**Me: So, yeah… like Nami said, there really isn't much ZoNa in the epilogue. It's just that this is just mainly a… conclusion of some sort. I know there were readers who had some unanswered questions, so I hope some of them will be answered. I guess you could think of this as an aftermath.**

**Zoro: An aftermath? *yawns* How boring.**

**Me: Well, I'm sorry I'm such a boring person!**

**Zoro: I'm just kidding, geez!**

* * *

Epilogue

Zoro groaned. What was it that took this woman so long to _get dressed_? He had promised not to rush her – after all, she did always look beautiful when she was done, but still. Was it really necessary to take an _hour_? He rolled his eyes. _Girls and their clothes. _Nami was certainly no exception.

Zoro glanced around Nami's room, looking for something to distract him from the boredom, and glimpsed something black sticking out from under her mattress. Curious, Zoro carefully took the item from its spot and stared at it for a moment. It was a journal. Nami's journal, to be exact. He quickly checked the door of the bathroom; it was still closed. It wouldn't hurt to take a look, would it?

He flipped to the first page of the journal, which was dated from about eight years back. Zoro was impressed. She'd been keeping a journal for this long? _And she never told me! _

The earliest entries were all about how Arlong took over her village and murdered her mother. Zoro's heart clenched at the thought of the pain and grief Nami must have suffered. He skipped to her more recent entries. The latest one was written just a few days ago.

_Dear Diary,_

_A week has passed since the Tashigi incident. I still can't believe Zoro gave me a ring! He told me not to take it the wrong way; it was just a way of showing that we loved each other. I thought it was super sweet of him! I don't know what I would've said if he asked me to marry him. Not that I don't want to, it's just that we're still too young. I think Zoro would know that, though - he isn't the type to rush things._

_We were late for our reservations at the restaurant where we were supposed to have dinner, so we bought fish and chips and took a walk along the beach instead. It was mostly dark by then but there was still a glimpse of the sun, just enough so that we could see where we were going. We sat down by the shore and left our feet in the water while eating and talking. After we finished the food we lay there with our backs on the sand and hands entwined, while fireflies flew above our heads. It was so romantic! I think it was one of the best moments of my life. We headed back to our rooms at around midnight with happy smiles on our faces._

_As I predicted, Crocodile called Zoro, Vivi, Tashigi and I to his office the next day. There was no way the security cameras could have missed the four of us wandering around the school that night, and I was right. Crocodile made us watch all of the scenes caught on camera while we squirmed in embarrassment. Well, mostly Zoro, Tashigi and me. Vivi was only shown once. Thank God the ring part hadn't been recorded._

_When it ended, we were all quiet. Crocodile asked us for an explanation. He also cruelly reminded us that Zoro and I were still on suspension. And you wouldn't believe what Zoro did next! He put an arm around me and said something along the lines of, "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't celebrate my girlfriend's birthday?" _

_I blushed. Zoro smirked. Vivi and Tashigi gaped. Crocodile looked taken back for a second before his face returned to its usual expressionless state. He regarded us coldly – it was almost a glare – and he said, "Care to repeat that?" It was a stupid question, really. We all knew he heard. So why was he making Zoro repeat himself? He probably thought he misheard or something. There aren't many people who dare to talk back to the scary vice principal. Zoro had guts, I'll give him that. I can't remember clearly what happened after that, but after some exchanges between him and Zoro, Crocodile told us we had after school detention the day after and allowed everyone except for Zoro leave the room. When I asked him about it, he simply replied, "Nothing you need to worry about." Sure I'm worried, but I'm going to trust him. That's what a good girlfriend does, right?_

_So, moving on from…_that_, I've got some exciting couple news! First of all, Vivi and Luffy got together! Apparently Luffy asked Vivi out on a date and she agreed. Awww, yay! I'm so happy for them. They're such a cute couple. Now we can go on double dates! I guess we could drag along Robin and Franky, but… uh…you know, age differences. It would be awkward. Usopp started going out with this girl in our grade called Kaya. I don't know her well, but she seems really nice. And finally, Sanji. He moped over me and Zoro's 'get-together' for a long time. He has been continuously smoking since, despite my efforts in telling him to stop. I don't think he has still fully recovered. Nevertheless, it looks like his heart is slowly starting to heal and he's back to flirting. I think his current girlfriend is called... Anna-something? I really hope he can find someone special, just like how I found Zoro._

Zoro found himself smirking when he read the last part of the entry,

_Speaking of my boyfriend. Whenever I think of his deliciously hot body and badass personality… I can't help but think how lucky I am that he is _mine.

"ZORO!"

He was suddenly assaulted by a high-pitched scream.

_Uh-oh. Here comes the devil._

Nami strode towards him and violently snatched the journal out of his hands. She glared at him, clear murderous intent in her eyes.

"_Why are you reading my journal_?" she hissed.

Zoro couldn't help but feel a pang of satisfaction when he noticed that her cheeks had turned a brilliant shade of red.

"I didn't know you thought I had a hot body," he remarked casually.

"I knew it! You were reading my journal!" Nami pointed an accusing finger at him; her face turning even redder, if that was possible.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked, feigning innocence.

Oh, how he loved teasing her. She was so cute when she was blushing like that.

"S-Shut up," Nami said, causing Zoro to realise he had just voiced that thought out loud.

"What? It's true." Zoro closed the distance between them in a few strides, and lifted his finger to caress her cheek. He leaned in until their noses were almost touching.

"Love you."

Nami smiled. "I'll never get tired to hearing that."

* * *

**THE END! Wow, it's finally complete. That took forever! I don't think I'll be writing another multi-chapter in a long time xP Anyway, I'd like to give a BIG THANK YOU to anyone who reviewed, favourite, followed or even just read this story. I wouldn't have made it without your ongoing support ;) THANKYOUSOMUCHILOVEYOUALL! *gives lotsa kisses and hugs*Well, that's it for me. Watch out for the sequel! XD**


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